A sold out Harper's Ferry means the music's gotta be good. And it was. Both The Shantee and Seeking Homer play cutting edge bar rock deserving of the next step. I was fortunate enough to catch The Shantee's last three songs when I attended Harper's Ferry on March 14. They made such an impression with their catchy melodies and feel good jams that I pursued an interview/conversation with their keyboardist, Randy Browne, who played one of the most intricately beautiful piano solos that I've heard in a long time. The Shantee also includes Michael Perkins on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Matthew Morton on lead guitar and vocals, Ward Scott on bass and vocals and Shane Frye on drums.The Shantee originated in Columbus, Ohio six years ago, building a strong following in their home region and extending their fanbase throughout the northeast. Although The Shantee can improvise their songs with the best of them, Browne was adamant that they not be labeled as a jamband. This Billy Joel idolizer stressed that The Shantee's primary goal is to play and write good songs that people want to hear. They improvise their live performances by allowing different instruments to take center stage, but they steer clear of 15-minute marathons that will tire the predominantly non-heads in attendance.

"Music is begging for good songs," Browne remarked. The Shantee is determined not to be classified, but they continue carving out their niche of radio friendly tunes with uplifting, danceable live interpretations that draw in music lovers from all scenes.

The other band featured Friday night, Seeking Homer, is highlighted by frontman David Oberacker on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, who has a stage presence second only to Bono (although I've heard The Boss ain't to shabby either) and sequined velvet loafers deserving of a place in the Halls of Cleveland. He is supported by Tom Connors on electric guitar and vocals, James Dunlop on bass and Mike Seda on drums and vocals.

Friday night the band was filming for a new live CD/DVD release, so they gave us the best they had to offer. Seeking Homer's first couple of tunes had that pristine, poppy 92.9 quality as Connors laid down licks with the same pedal effect as U2's "The Edge". They also showed that they could play good couples music that wasn't sappy, which they juxtaposed with extended jams to placate the singles in the audience.

Another style mastered was their jungle beat rock with strong rhythmic bass lines reminiscent of Rusted Root. During their instrumental portion of this song, a sweaty Oberacker did an all out interpretive dance movement using all points in space on stage like a master's canvas.

Their covers for the evening included an acoustically driven version of The Band's "The Weight," allowing Seda to shine on vocals and the always intense Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell" for their encore, which had more than several faithful chanting "Run!" throughout the instrumental intro.

Following some harmonic vocal echoing between band mates, a lone Seda dazzled (or bored) the crowd with his fast paced, extended drums session. Then returned Oberacker and Connors on acoustic guitars as the duo introed with Marley's "Redemption Song" and segued into an unforgettable "Star Spangled Banner" with the rest of the band joining in. As a pacifist and music lover, my emotions were pulled in polar directions as the crowd waved mini American flags while the band poured their heart into the most rousing, climactic version of our national anthem since Jimi did it at Woodstock.

Unlike the red glare of Jimi's soloing, Seeking Homer was a collective of bright stars that interwove to bring Key's composition to a new level. Just as you thought the song was winding down, they busted out with repeated "Oh say does this star spangled banner yet wave?" phrases that had everyone dancing with unrivaled excitement. They played the ultimate, rocking drag out ending that left the majority of the crowd on a patriotic high, causing them to disrupt the post masterpiece positive cheer with their barking "USA."

Seeking Homer followed that up with a poppy Dave Matthew's Band-like tune with a fun bass line that included a "Low Rider" tease. Oberacker took the time during this song to tell the crowd how he read the fortune, "Live for the moment," on a Bazooka Joe comic. He enthusiastically freestyled the quote, but unfortunately the shallow crowd did not embrace the beauty of his message. Oberacker then did his second wild dancing performance of the show, confirming that he is the best dancing male lead singer around.

They ended their set with the crowd favorite "Texas," which showcased Dunlop singing "Why must I be the man in the suitcase?" in the rawest of vocals, and the crowd was loving every second of it. This bound-to-be radio hit had me singing "Aw, beep beep... Mexico," as I slid down an icy Comm Ave. arm in arm with my two best friends in a post-show glow. It's just a matter of time before your average radio listener can't get this catchy tune out of their head and gets their minds blown at the multifaceted artistic event that is a Seeking Homer concert.