In another, perhaps more unpredictable universe than ours, Brooklyn-based psych-folk collective Akron/Family has been anointed the heir to the ever-touring hippie-rock throne of Phish, inspiring throngs of well-bearded “Ak-heads” to follow it from show to show around the country.

Settle down, this is by no means intended to lump the bands (or their dreadlocked fanbases) together, which is really like comparing Kellogg’s Grape Nuts to a freshly made organic tabbouleh wrap. But more to say that if Deadheads and jam-worshipping Trey-huggers were truly looking for a band that embodies the thrilling mix of improvisation, crowd interaction and unhinged creative energy that can transform a room’s spirit, Akron/Family would make a far more interesting choice than, say, Dave Matthews.

Through a 45-odd minute “First Friday” set at the Natural History Museum (more on that later), Akron/Family showed it hasn’t missed a step since losing original guitarist Ryan Vanderhoof to, naturally, a Buddhist center. Perpetually manic bassist Miles Seaton has stepped into a sort of frontman role quite smoothly, and he led a delirious crowd through a variety of roof-raising clap-alongs, tribal chants and style shifts as the band burned through its set, most impressively during the feverish psychedelic tent revival “Raise The Sparks.” The show closed with drummer Dana Janssen standing to beat-box through a selection from last year’s “Love Is Simple” and somehow came across far less ridiculous than it sounds.

Therein lies the secret weapon of Akron/Family — as close as its ‘We are one” philosophy and anything-goes songwriting techniques come to utter absurdity (especially on record), its performances never cross to the other side. Because when you can make a crowd gleefully clap in time and shout gibberish choruses, everything has clearly gone mad in the first place — in the best, most joyous way possible.

Before the Akron/Family, San Francisco’s Dodos filled the museum with percussive, hypermelodic tribal jams that borrowed some of the spirit of the headliner but with vocals that carried a dramatic sweep occasionally reminiscent of Morrissey, if that isn’t too brain-smashing a collision to imagine. I’d have more specifics about their set, but unfortunately because of the museum’s apparent policy of over-booking, there was a rope line circling the museum’s main gallery for entry into the performance space that left us trapped outside for much of their show. A maddening policy certainly, but once the initial frustration wore off it was all too easy to give in to exploring the rest of the museum as the Dodos’ sound pulsed against the museum’s massive Tyrannasaur skeleton. There’s more than one way to raise some sparks.

– Photo and post by Chris Barton