On March 28, 2017, my friends and I went to Hendershot’s Coffee to listen to a live band while we did our homework. My friend happened to know two of the band members, so I had the chance of meeting them before watching them perform. They call themselves Period 6, and this band includes Austin Agar on drums, Griffin Dangler on bass, David Brown on guitar, Chris Costigan on saxophone, and Grant Cowan on piano.
Period 6 is a jazz cover band in Athens that has been around for about two years. They perform on the first Tuesday of every month at Hendershot’s, but also perform at corporate events, weddings, or any other opportunities they are given. Their gigs at Hendershot’s were sporadic at the start, but once more people started coming and listening, they secured a residency there.
Photo by Sophie Goode
The band originated in Athens, where Costigan is a jazz teacher. He asked a few of his former students to perform with him. Each member of the band, at some point in their lives, had a sixth period jazz class at Brookwood High School, which is where the name of the band is derived.
When I arrived at Hendershot’s, I sat down at a table in front of the stage. I watched as the band interacted with the audience, set up, and tuned their instruments before their performance. Once ready, the leader of the band, Costigan, introduced the band and they began.
Photo by Sophie Goode
Prior to the first Period 6 performance I experienced, I had never listened to a live jazz band. I brought homework with me, expecting to not enjoy the music. However, once they began playing, my homework went untouched. I found myself truly enjoying the music and a lot of stress from the week prior disappeared. I never thought that jazz could do such a thing for me.
Cowan said, “Jazz is bringing people together. I love that it is an opportunity for people to come and listen to music that they can’t usually listen to around Athens.”
Besides the quality of music from the performance, I couldn’t stop myself from watching the band perform. Each member focused on their instrument and it was clear that they enjoyed playing. Occasionally they would smile at each other, almost as a way of saying “good job” when one of the members had a solo. And whenever Cowan mixed in vocals with the music, I became more impressed. Adding vocals for a few songs deep into the performance draws attention from the audience. It was an unexpected twist to the music and I could tell that others in the audience were pleasantly surprised just as much as I was.
All-in-all, I would recommend this band to anyone, especially to someone as inexperienced with jazz as I am. It became clear to me that the band members care about each other and enjoy performing. The thing about a performance in a coffee shop is that you don’t have to sit there and watch them perform; you can walk in, grab a coffee and go, or you can do some work while you listen. I sat and watched the entire time in order to really appreciate the music. It was a soothing experience and I left the shop being quite impressed and wanting more.
Article cover photo courtesy of Grant Cowan.