by Sarah Brewer
The MCC Ballroom room reverberated with soul and synth when Dr. Seahorse performed on the evening of Feb. 20.
Dr. Seahorse is an indie-pop duo formed as a project in June of 2007, featuring singer/ songwriter Trevor Davis and producer Mark Suhonen.
Davis would deliver songs he had written on his acoustic guitar to Suhonen, who would then replace the guitar with electronic arrangements and add programmed beats to complete the track.
Their musical collaboration translated well on stage.
Davis crooned, grooved and moonwalked, while Suhonen manned turntables and drums.
Both Davis and Suhonen often interacted with the audience. When members of the audience formed a conga line during “Closer,” a mid- tempo track that pulsated like a breathing heart, Davis joined in and danced with students.
Before introducing the next song on the set list, Davis encouraged the spirit of dance.
“You can’t always dance to this music, but you can move to it,” he said.
The lyrics of “To Move You,” a song from their 2010 EP, “Red Carpet,” explained the mantra behind their music.
“Sometimes we need to break and see the piece that’s missing,” Davis sang.
Another song, the titular “Red Carpet,” contemplated love as inspiration. Davis sang slowly, allowing his voice to ascendto a high falsetto while using slow upper-body movements to illustrate the song.
Melissa Flores, a senior Psychology major and Programming Activities Council Co-chair, enjoyed how well Dr. Seahorse fused disparate sounds and styles together.
“I don’t think there’s anything out there like them. They’re like funky, techno rock-pop,” Flores said.
Other students, like
Cody Gardner, a senior Communications major and Student Government Association President, found the visual element and energy Dr. Seahorse brought to the stage impressive.
“Their whole presence was unique and different. I think they came as themselves and they rocked it,” Gardner said.
Gardner especially connected to the rendition of one song added to the set list.
“I loved their cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Man in the Mirror,’” she said. “It’s my favorite song,” she said.
According to Davis, the cover of Jackson’s hit is one of his favorites to perform.
“We know everyone is going to get into it,” he said. “There is so much nostalgia for each person whenever they first heard that song, or whenever they first got to know that song. It works through all generations.”
Davis discussed songs like “Man in The Mirror,” and other last-minute onstage revisions
to the set list, not only enhance each show, but also tailors each to its respective audience.
“You have to consistently do what you do as a performer and be the first to step forward and see how they [the audience] respond, but continue to be yourself at the same time,” Davis said.