Gabriella Jay, Sam Ronan and a kid named rufus all preformed one friday at The Back Lot.

By Lily Brooks

The three musicians performed on a slanted asphalt driveway behind a pale blue, off campus house dubbed “The Back Lot.” 

My Friends and I were greeted by the orange cat who lived across the street from the venue. We were some of the first few to go in, along with another small group of students, though the lot filled up quickly with people. Two girls, who would later be introduced as Maria and Gabriella, were practicing on two short black stools enclosed by a loose circle of four amps. 

The girl sitting on the ground in front of me was wearing a Rex Orange County sweatshirt; the crowd was exactly what I expected. People brought printed blankets to sit on and the third act, a kid named rufus, reached into a friend's Five Guy’s bag to steal a few fries. 

Gabriella Jaye, her new stage name she tried for the first time, kicked off the show with four songs. Her naturally deep, Amy Winehouse inspired, R&B voice sounded years older than the freshman she is supposed to be. Her raw and powerful sound along with her curly blond hair instinctively reminded me of Tori Kelly, an R&B that has gospel influence, best known for her hit song ‘Should’ve Been Us’. 

After the first song, Jaye shared that it was her first time performing live and said “you guys are going to learn that I really like sad songs”.  

Her third song was an original. It was a beautiful and vulnerable piece about first loves and heartbreaks. Jaye introduced the song by saying, “I’m gonna share a few heartbreak moments, and ya know what? We love those.” We do, Gabby. 

She closed the set with Hannah Montana’s ‘The Climb’ and encouraged the audience to sing along with her and was met with full crowd participation.

Sitting on the stool next to Gabriella was Maria. She held a white electric guitar on her lap and held a guitar pick in her mouth the entire set. Her calm stage presence and effortless playing guided the singer through her songs and later smoothly adapted to subtle cues Rufus gave her. 

The second act was a trio: Sam Ronon on vocals and keyboard, Brain on bass and Jiulianna Iapaleucci stealing the show on drums. Jiulianna is only a freshman, but Sam described her playing as “like someone who has played longer than she’s been alive.” She tells me about her start with drumming, “I started in elementary school, you know in like fourth grade when they're like ‘Alright you have to play an instrument now’. So honestly I did not put down drums as my first instrument, I put down trumpet….I kinda stuck with it, like the cliché I fell in love with it. I didn’t pick up a drum set until like 8th or 9th grade so I’ve only been playing for like four or five years”. 

Half way through the first song, ‘Gemini and Leo’ by Helago Negro, the porch light above the band turned off and I realised then that the sun had almost set. 

The four upbeat funk songs they played brought energy to the audience. Their seemingly well rehearsed music left room for minutes of free jamming which we all vibed to. With one head nod from Sam, Jiulianna would switch up the pace and they all easily transitioned into ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ by Stevie Wonder. 

They continued to play three more songs, closing with ‘A Kiss of Venus’ by Paul McCartney and Dominic Fike, concluding with more funky, smooth improv. 

By the third act it had become dark when a kid named rufus took the stage. Maria was back with her guitar and they took the same position on the stools as the first act. It was his first performance since quarantine started: “I was doing a bunch of opening acts, Omar Apollo was like February of 2020, just before the pandemic so this is my first performance in like a year and a half”. 

He performed two originals from his new EP, ‘Graduation’ in which he talked about the creative process, “It was so much fun to write, ya I would just get on Facetime calls with my friends and write it remotely and then produce it in my bedroom. I was doing it over the course of maybe May to December, and then I finished the EP just before I landed in New York”. He had everyone turn on their phone flashlights and sway to his first song,‘Everybody's Fine But Me’. 

He admitted that his set was more of a practice for a concert he was performing the following night and went on his phone to pick a third song to sing. He chose ‘Dark Red’ by Steve Lacy. Some sang along after Rufus cued Maria to interlude before the bridge so he could encourage the audience to join him. He teased the release of new music and collabs after the concert, “The next project comes out next year. And I have a bunch of collaborations that are coming out soon, literally within this year.” 

The night ended with groups standing around, catching up with friends and listening to the crickets. Gabriella rushed in her uber with friends and soon after most trickled out too.