Cab Ellis Rocks First Java This Semester

One of Java Barn’s most coveted rock bands made history during their third visit to St. Lawrence University. Cab Ellis, the Brooklyn-based rock outfit, swooned, wooed, gooed, and ruled over the compact Java Barn audience last Thursday, Jan. 23. The show marked Java’s first endeavor of the semester (after a raucous house party on Jan. 19), leaving many eager for the semester to come. 

Cab Ellis last came to SLU for the 2024 Senior Week show–a show that Sam Voter ’25 said “had so much energy on stage, but the completely wrong crowd.” 2024 seniors across the spectrum arrived at that show with a mixed reception. Many die-hard Java fans are awed at lead singer Connor Abeles’ manic energy and on-stage hysteria. Others, outside the Java sphere, patiently meandered around the catering table with a room-temperature Busch Light, hoping a more accessible act would appear. 

Also, at that show, a few members of the band broke Java-owned microphone stands and damaged a stage monitor. House sound engineer Taylor Beidler ’25 declared in a sarcastically menacing tone, “I will have my revenge!” However, every house member was more than happy to welcome back the band. “I love Cab Ellis!,” declared an excited Luke Josephson ’26, while Maddie Haydock ’26 boldly asserted, “I’d trade my house, my family, my job, myself, my food, my house again, as long as Cab Ellis keeps playing and comes back to Java.” 

Understandably, there was some tension coming into this show. Will the crowd accept a counter-culture act of crazed mania? Will Abeles return with fury to blaze through another three hours of musical mania? Will there be any more broken microphone stands or beaten-up monitors? Maybe… 

To describe this year’s show, I will call upon Kendrick Lamar’s famous refrain, “Bing-bap-boom-boom-boom-bap-bam.” That is the energy Cab Ellis brought to the Java stage last Thursday. From their first moment on, each member looked freshly “amped-up,” for lack of a better synonym for “coked-up.” How else is one supposed to describe their vibe? Watching Abeles and the band on stage is equivalent to watching a lab chimpanzee injected with half a gram of cocaine parade around a room full of mannequins, tearing the heads of each one and shooting three-pointers. Need I say more? It’s a lot; it’s a wholly overwhelming experience which can only be fully understood by manning the front row barricades while the majestic mosh pit swirls behind you. 

After the show, some of the band members were similarly enamored with the crowd. Drummer Chris Cotton said, “You guys are fun… Boston is a snooze… you guys got this nice energy.” Lead guitarist Delvin Tenney shouted to one dazed Java roadie, “Thank YOU for the vibes!” It’s clear the band loves Java as much as Java loves Cab Ellis. Greenhouse member Voter said after the show, “I just don’t get how it keeps getting better!”  

With their artistic implementation of the semester complete, fans can only wait patiently for Cab Ellis to return sooner rather than later and up their game once again.