This, it seems, is the age of the jamband. He who can extend a song for the longest amount of time is king. While the merits of the extended live improvisation are not meant to be diminished here, there is also something to be said for being succinct. To distill all that is good of a 20 minute jam into a three or four minute package is at once a noble endeavor and the pinnacle of an ancient art called 'songwriting,' a supposed relic of pre-jamband days. Pete is a songwriter, as comfortable at an acoustic folk open-mic night as he is at an electric club gig. And while Arcoda maintains the jamband sensibility and appeal, they are also able to pump out songs, recognizable, catchy songs that get you off your barstool and moving. They even dip into the subject pool of such forbidden topics in the jamband world like love and girls.

Jokingly, Pete calls it "Pop Gold." But at the center of every joke, Freud teaches us, there is a nugget of truth. So test it if you will; here the Pop Gold is the real McCoy.

While Pete would admit that he and Arcoda keyboardist Adam Beamer have penned their share of musical run-on sentences, the main thrust of Arcoda's show at Harper's Ferry on June 26 was to keep it to the point. And the point was fun. Following an icebreaking acoustic guitar ditty from the Pidgeon/Beamer duo, the band opened the show Proper with an upbeat ode to the nude photograph called "Stripped Down." The ensemble was tight from the get-go, glued together by drummer Jeremy Gustin's arena-style rock/funk swinging on the kit. Pete's buttery vocals and acute stage sense forged musical paths for the band and audience alike to follow.

I was struck with how ingeniously simple and honest everything was. The stage setup itself was nothing more than a guitar, a bass, a keyboard, three amps, and a drum kit. Sadly, the sound came out as a bit muddy up front, but when I moved back towards the soundboard, the sound sharpened considerably. I think this is just a flaw in the speaker setup at Harper's Ferry: the sweet spot is the soundboard, and not the audience. It is certainly not the band's fault, but is something that anyone who plays Harper's should be aware of. Luckily, it didn't matter much; Arcoda's setup and sound is very honest, clean, and simple. I counted two effects pedals on stage total, and couldn't make out any other means of altering the sound. Pure, clean, wholesome fun. Pop Gold. Except that Arcoda would launch into songs with titles like "$2 Crack Ho" (a surprisingly subtle and compositionally complex tune), adding the requisite wackiness and bizarre sense of humor of the jamband to the equation. The combination was made possible by Pete's affinity for stage banter and crowd interaction; he made Harper's Ferry feel like Arcoda's backyard barbecue and jam session. This was possibly the hallmark of the show from a Live Live perspective: the sense of community was astounding.

A brief look into the history of Arcoda would teach you that its current incarnation is approaching some sort of solid lineup. Despite the rotating bassists, the trio of Pidgeon, Beamer, and Gustin are solid foundations to a band that, at various points in its history, included members of Uncle Sammy, the Miracle Orchestra, and Addison Groove Project, among others. It seems that finally, Arcoda is coming into a more permanent, solid lineup and will have time to cultivate its sound, refine the balance of songwriting and improvisation.

Although Arcoda works the songwriting angle more than the typical jamband, they are not afraid of the jam. Take, for example, "Thank You," a funky tune that featured saxophone work from "Jess," the saxophonist from the Living Daylights, a prog-jazz trio that opened the show. Despite Pete's casual introduction, "Thank You" dug deep into the funky stuff from which butt-shaking comes and Arcoda, along with Jess's aid, delivered big for the aficionados of the jam. Songwriting not to be forsaken, Arcoda brought it back to their compositional forte with some tight compositions and poignant lyrical twists.

All this, sadly, was accomplished for a small crowd. What was it about this sweltering Wednesday night that kept all the music lovers of Boston in their apartments? For those dancing, there were not many complaints due to the generous amounts of floor space. For those listening beyond the dance floor, one could not help but be impressed by the effort that band put out despite their crowd. If Arcoda is to play, it seems, they are going to do it 100% regardless of crowd size. And for a band that interacts so much with its audience, that is above admirable.

So for the few blessed or lucky enough to find themselves at Harper's on June 26, it was a party. Everyone, including the band, was all smiles all night. When the time came for me to put down pen, turn off mind, and just shake my butt and have a good time, Arcoda delivered with a big golden nugget of songwriting fun.

-David Taus