Quarters of Change Brings the House Down @ D.C.’s The Atlantis
Washington d.c - April 22nd, 2024
Photo via Quarters of Change
As the warm evening sun begins to set in the heart of D.C., exclamations of excitement and laughter can be heard along 9th Street as fans line up outside of The Atlantis.
After finding their footing in 2017 as a high school rock cover band, the NYC native band, Quarters of Change, has since released two albums and several stand-alone projects. The group kicks off the month of April with “The Portraits Tour”— hitting ten major cities from Quebec to Atlanta. Members, Ben Roter (vocals, guitar, lyricist), Jasper Harris (guitarist, bassist, synths, producer, engineer), Attila Anrather (drums, producer, engineer), and Ben Acker (guitarist, bassist, synths, producer) work together to produce a unique and versatile sound that is taking the nation by storm.
As fans fill the venue, they’re welcomed by two opening artists, The Band Light and The Crystal Casino Band. The Band Light transported the audience back in time with a smooth 70s-inspired sound and an excellent cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”. The Crystal Casino Band performs a true 2000s indie-rock set, paying special homage to their favorite river with their original song, “Potomac”.
Photo via Quarters of Change
Soon after the opening sets conclude, Quarters of Change take the stage with an excellently placed interlude to one of their most popular songs, “T Love”. After hearing only the first chord of this fan-favorite, the crowd erupts into enthusiastic applause. Without needing any introduction, lead singer Ben Roter dives headfirst into the pulsating melody of their first song, “Tightrope”. Roter’s driving vocals are expertly accompanied by tight harmonies and alternating guitar solos from both Jasper Harris and Ben Acker. For the next hour, the group's stage presence electrifies the venue, with each member’s personality on display in their own way.
At this particular show, the band performed a completely different setlist than the one from the previous night, stopping intermittently to interact cheekily with the crowd. One of the most notable departures of this set was the group’s inclusion of their song, “Chloe,” after which a few members of the crowd shouted ‘thank you for playing Chloe!’ The song is closely followed by “Turn It Away” and an especially somber “Time Before Mourning”.
Next, the group is engulfed by a shroud of warm yellows and greens as the crowd lets out a collective gasp in anticipation of the song to come. They hold their breath as the opening chords of “Kiwi” play at a slow tempo. Like a scene out of a movie, the green and yellow lights glow even brighter as the song begins. Both the band and the audience appear to be lost in the mellow, yet driving, pre-chorus. With sounds that evoke feelings of sleeping in on a summer morning, the lyrics, “I’ve been talking all night in my sleep / With the sheets wrapped” ring out. During the instrumental post-chorus, Jasper Harris lets his guitar do all the talking as he absolutely shreds his featured moment with ease.
Photo via Quarters of Change
The group takes a brief moment of pause between songs, to dedicate “Heaven Bound” to a team member’s birthday. As the song begins, it’s clear that the band truly gets lost in their music. With their eyes closed and heads leaned back in pure enjoyment, they savor every show-stopping moment of this song– and the audience follows suit. The angelic melody picks up speed until there is not a still body in the crowd. As the music winds down, the band takes a knee, and Attila Anrather takes the lead. Anrather lets it all go as the band looks to him for his drum solo. The audience’s eyes remain glued on him as he pours his soul into the final beats of the song. The front face of his drum set which reads, “Heaven Sent, Heaven Bound” quakes with vigor, and the lights go down.
Photo via Quarters of Change
The song is followed by a soulful “Jaded” and then “Keep My Blood”. The final song of their set is the certified crowd pleaser, “T Love”. The kicking tempo is coupled with huge smiles from the group as they all let loose for one last song. Their energy is infectious, and the crowd hangs on to every lyric. Harris and Acker are perfectly in sync as they round out the show in a back-to-back moment of sheer musicality. The crowd, again, erupts into screams of delight and raucous cheering as the band concludes and walks off.
Suddenly, the applause turns into a collective chant for more. ‘One more song! One more song!’ the audience repeats until the band graces the stage once more, for an unforgettable encore of “Sophia” and “I Only Love You”. Still riding high on the energy from the encore, the crowd begins to disperse. Sounds of laughter and conversations between friends recounting the most memorable moments from the show can be overheard as the audience pours out into the street.
From the skillful execution of their music to the raw passion that the group exudes in their performances, it’s clear that Quarters of Change is the one to watch.
You can see Quarters of Change on tour here.