Although a crowd poured in for a sneak peek at the newly renovated Observatory and some free food last Wednesday, less than half stayed for the pub’s entertainment, The Jimmy Swift Band. “Thanks for coming not to just eat pizza,” said Craig Mercer, the singer for the band, after a handful of fans met them by the bar.

While JSB played, most people worked on their homework or played on laptops. The remainder of the group, the only fans, were spread throughout the Observatory bobbing their heads in unison to the music.

He partially blamed the crowd’s lack of energy due to lack of alcohol, saying it was a strange performance. “People weren’t drunk,” said Mercer, signing autographs to a handful of people. “It’s better when people are just going off. They lose their inhibitions.”

The act was spread out on the Observatory’s roomy new stage, covered in power cables. As Mercer played guitar, he stretched out across the stage, extending his toes to touch his distortion pedal and his fingers to fiddle with knobs.

After seeing the energy of the crowd, he said that if anybody wanted to see them in a different environment, they were playing at Maverick’s. Richard Estabrooks, an english student from Carleton university, was surprised by the turnout.

He came to see the band even though it meant missing class. “I’ve seen The Jimmy Swift Band four times,” said Estabrooks. “They’re mesmerizing. They make me feel like I’m on drugs.” “It’s great when a fan says that you don’t sound like anything on Earth.” Craig Mercer lead singer, Jimmy Swift Band The band says they have a following from the east coast because their music is indescribable. “It’s great when a fan says that you don’t sound like anything on Earth,” said Mercer.

Although JSB said they were playing at Maverick’s that night, they also said they might have difficulty getting there. “While we were here, somebody stole our license plate,” said Mercer. “We’re going around without a license plate right now.” Apparently, while a roadie was transporting cables, the plate was stolen. “It’s not like we have enough problems, getting up at 10:30 am to play,” said Mercer. “We’re not really used to getting up that early.” Mercer was surprised at how many people were at the college at 1:30 pm, saying he would usually be in bed at that hour.

You can’t blame people for not wanting to hear loud music at noon,” he added. “I wouldn’t even be up this early.”