I distinctly remember the first time I discovered Polyphia. I was stuck at home during the COVID-19 lockdown, mindlessly scrolling the internet in search of anything that would fill the copious amount of time I had to kill. I clicked on a random recommended video, “Polyphia | G.O.A.T. (Official Music Video),” and was instantly blown away. I had never heard anything like what they played. Their music is genre-defying, blending rock, jazz, funk, and more, all through pure instrumentation and no vocals.
Polyphia, comprised of guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage, bassist Clay Gober, and drummer Clay Aeshcliman, is like no other. Unlike many groups, Polyphia is not centered on one individual; each bandmate contributes their exceptional musicianship to the formation of the band’s unique sound. Polyphia is like that rare group project where every member, each with their own unique skills, does their fair share – except they’re uber-talented rockstars.
Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to see them live at The Warfield in San Francisco. I can honestly say that I had never experienced a concert like it. The crowd in the pit was diverse and came from all walks of life, from rocker chicks in intricate black eyeliner, to middle-aged tech-bro music nerds, to a family with two young children. No matter who they were, when the lights dimmed, everyone roared in anticipation of the unrivaled artistry they were about to experience.
Opening for Polyphia were DOMi and JD Beck, an instrumental keyboard and drum duo, who were equally prodigious and irreverent. You would have never guessed unbelievably complex and rich polyrhythmic jazz music to come from these performers, given their youthful and eccentric appearance, or set design, which consisted of a prop toilet functioning as a seat. DOMi and JD Beck have mastered their craft at a young age: DOMi effortlessly navigated between two keyboards with her hands and the bass line with her feet, while JD Beck played incredibly fast and precisely on his drum kit.
Looking around at the audience head-bobbing and hand-waving, I could tell that everyone was blown away by the musical prowess displayed by these talented musicians. Highlights of their set included songs from their album NOT TiGHT (2022), such as their playful and cozy “SMiLE”, and sweet and gentle “BOWLiNG.” DOMi and JD Beck were an incredible opening act and set the tone for an unparalleled night of virtuosic talent.
The crowd held its breath as the lights dimmed, screaming as soon as the first chords of the night played and Polypia entered the stage. The band assumed their positions: guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage on elevated platforms to the side of the stage, bassist Clay Gober moving around the center of the stage, and drummer Clay Aeshcliman positioned center back on a raised stage adorned with dynamic LED lights.
The atmosphere was electrifying. I could feel every vibration from the music on my skin to the audience’s joy in my heart. I could not keep a smile off my face as the band opened with “Loud” from their EP The Most Hated (2017) and transitioned to “Reverie” and “The Audacity (feat. Anomalie),” songs from their most recent album Remember That You Will Die (2022).
The audience burst with life, headbanging, jumping, and hand-gesturing. I had never seen so many devil horns and so much interpretive hand-moving in my life. The crowd went wild for hits such as “40oz,” “O.D.,” and “Euphoria” and for songs with featured vocals like “So Strange (feat. Cuco)” and “ABC (feat. Sophia Black).”
Polyphia’s songs are all incredible, but something about the live aspect and their magnetic stage presence elevated their music to a completely different level. Although they didn’t engage with the crowd much, nobody seemed to care; their music said enough. Henson’s and LePage’s fretboard gymnastics and Gober’s and Aeshcliman’s tight rhythm section left the crowd in awe, with many screaming their adoration and asking their friends, “How are they so good?”
Highlights of the night in terms of crowd experience were “Champagne,” where the band purposely left gaps in their playing so the audience could sing and finish the riff, and two of their encore songs, “Playing God” and “G.O.A.T.,” where both the crowd and the band instigated mosh pits. A small group around me started a circle in preparation to mosh as soon as “Playing God” started. I don’t know if the bossa nova-inspired song was necessarily appropriate for a mosh pit, it was fun nonetheless.
When the first high-pitched notes of “G.O.A.T.” started playing, the crowd and the band were ready. Scott LePage urged the audience to split down the middle into two halves on either side of the venue, opening a wall of death that slammed together on his count of three. It was really fun, although the mosh pit wasn’t particularly rough. However, that may have been for the best because it was my first time in one.
I truly had a blast and felt that my experience with Polyphia had come full circle, rocking to “G.O.A.T.,” the last song they played that night and the first song I had ever heard from them.
Polyphia is on tour now.
Written by Ivonne Liang and Photos by Sravani Khanal