'CHARIOT' rides into Axis

Last Wednesday night, singer Gavin DeGraw rocked the crowd at Axis Nightclub. His stop in Bloomington was one of many on his college tour, and it was his first show with a 21 and over crowd. \nDeGraw's album, Chariot, hit stores last year and was an instant hit. During a break in his 2004 U.S. tour, he revamped the album by giving the songs the feeling they had taken on during his numerous live performances. The show at Axis promoted the re-released album, Chariot Stripped. \nAxis' general manager Ken Nickos said DeGraw's East Coast following served him well here in Bloomington.\n"He (DeGraw) has a big East Coast following, and we have a lot of East Coast kids here. He is an up-and-coming artist with good songs on the radio," he said.\nIndianapolis based singer/songwriter Jennie DeVoe opened the show by surprising the audience with her powerful, soul-filled voice. She ended her set with her first radio hit, "Don't It Sound Good."\nAfter a brief intermission, DeGraw took his seat at the piano and belted out lyrics over the cheering crowd. After performing his first radio hit, "Follow Through," DeGraw grabbed a guitar and jammed with "Chemical Party." The upbeat rock song, featuring lyrics like "You're just too high to see the point/You think your name is pass the joint," captivated the audience, and not one person could be seen standing still. To keep the energy going, DeGraw followed with a cover of John Fogerty's "Proud Mary." \nHe continued the show with a mix of covers and songs from his album. Dedicated DeGraw fans sang along while others danced to the emotionally-intense tunes DeGraw created on the piano and guitar. \n"I want to become a college staple, someone everyone has to come see when I come to town," DeGraw said. \nUpon reappearing for an encore, DeGraw enlightened the audience with a juxtaposition of a slow, melodic song he said he wrote for a friend coming out of rehabilitation and the uptempo radio hit, "I Don't Want To Be." \nDeGraw and his band continued to please the fans after the show by signing autographs and talking to fans around the bar. With his personable attitude and eclectic musical ability, fans said it's hard not to fall in love with DeGraw and his music. \n"I had never heard of Gavin before -- I just came to the show because a friend asked me to come along," senior Rick Peterson said. "But I really liked his music, and I am thinking about buying the album"