New York City-born quartet, Quarters of Change, took the stage at New Brookland Tavern and filled the venue with its alternative, heavy rock sound, engaging fans.
This was the group's first show in Columbia, and the band's loud sound enthralled the audience. Playing hits like “T-Love,” the band played through their catalog mixing both new and old songs.
The supporting group, Rebounders, set the tone for the night with a fun, lighthearted set, that included a cover of "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John.
The lights went off half an hour after Rebounders wrapped its set, and the headliners, Quarters of Change, took the stage. The band opened its set with the electronic-rock tune, "Look Alive," before quickly jumping into "What I Wanted," a heavy-hitting rock single off their upcoming album "PORTRAITS."
The band played a wide array of its discography, not only playing new singles but also throwing it back to previous hits from its album "Into the Rift" and one of the crowd favorites, "Kiwi." The ambiance of the show alongside the strong-sounding music created an exciting environment to see live music. Following an encore, the band bid their goodbyes to a roaring crowd.
The band's close relationship was evident through the member's on-stage chemistry. The four musicians said they have known each other since they were young children.
“We've all known each other since we were kids before the band started, and then we all started playing music together around high school. (In) college, (we) started taking it seriously,” Ben Acker, one of the band’s guitarists, said. "Three and a half years later, we're here in South Carolina.”
The band is rounding out its current tour before its second album, which is set to be released Jan. 26, 2024. On Oct. 3, just hours before the show began, the band also announced its new single, “Heaven Bound,” which will be released Oct. 27, 2023.
“It's been about eight months, nine months since we all got together and cooped up in a house and wrote it (the album). We spent the whole beginning of the year recording it and producing it and honing it, and it's finally done,” Acker said. “We're really excited about it, and it's certainly representative of the new level that we have reached since writing and releasing 'Into the Rift.'”
The process for creating their second album looked different from their previous records according to Ben Roter, a vocalist and guitarist for the band. With this different writing approach, the band worked on the album all together in a house, something they had never done before.
“We cooped up in upstate New York in a cabin for two weeks, and that's where we did the primary (work),” Roter said.
The band’s unique alternative sound draws fans in from cities outside the state, with their first showing in Soda City being no different.
Romi Bastias traveled to Columbia from High Point, N.C., to see Quarters of Change. This show was Bastias’ thirteenth time seeing the band live and she said she has gone as far as Texas and New York to see Quarters of Change in concert.
“They only get better. Every single concert is better,” Bastias said.
In the coming months, Roter said the band hopes to continue to play music together and to follow the opportunities the album gives the group.
“It's already being incredibly well received," Acker said. "We're already achieving things like some festival dates that we're really excited about, which already feels like growth. So, to know that only 30% of the album's out right now is really exciting to see.”
Quarters of Change’s sophomore album, "PORTRAITS,” comes out on Jan. 26, 2024, and will be available on streaming platforms.