Quarters of Change opened for Two Door Cinema Club on October 3, the last night of their North American tour. As soon as Quarters of Change’s lead singer Ben Roter came onto stage at Marathon Music Works on Thursday night, I noted in my phone, “Okay swag.” That statement certainly rang true through the New York alternative-rock band’s entire set. The “cool indie guys” factor was certainly there for Quarters of Change — Roter wore sunglasses, a necklace, a T-shirt with a Monster logo on it and baggy brown pants.
Quarters of Change opened their set with “Depression II” from their most recent album “Portraits.” Roter’s vocals immediately caught my attention as he sang and screamed throughout the set with a certain desperation and emotion that brought the songs to life.
Quarters of Change continued their set with “What I Wanted,” “Blue Copper” and “Cherry Tree.” The energy between the members of the band was palpable; they interacted with each other and with the crowd with effortless attitude and style.
In addition to Roter’s intense vocals, lead guitarist Jasper Harris’s riffs and guitar solos were incredible. Specifically during “T Love,” Harris and second guitarist Ben Acker stood back-to-back, and I remember just standing in awe with my mouth open, watching them play their solos. After “T Love,” Quarters of Change played their most popular song, and the only I was familiar with before the show, “Kiwi.” I’ve been listening to “Kiwi” on repeat since the show, trying to relive how electrifying it was to hear it live. The song starts with a catchy guitar riff that Harris kept strong throughout. Coming back to the “swag factor” — during the guitar solo, Harris simply faced the crowd, closed his eyes and nodded his head as he delivered an incredible and powerful solo.
What I am coming to love about being in Nashville is having an opportunity like this show to discover new bands through live music. It’s more meaningful than stumbling across a song on Spotify. Seeing a band live and experiencing a set through all my senses creates a stronger attachment between me and the band when I go on Spotify and listen to their music afterward. This was certainly true for Quarters of Change — when their songs come up on my playlists in the future, I will remember the emotion and electric energy I felt as Quarters of Change performed their set at Marathon.
