Dr. Louis Sullivan jams at Bayou Bills from VSU Spectator on Vimeo.

Francesca Zagami
Multimedia Editor
frzagami@valdosta.edu

“All y’alls’ eyes look crazy” called out Kyle Nichols, guitar player for Dr. Louis Sullivan, as the LED lights lit fan’s irises iridescent at Bayou Bills on Aug. 28. The 21-and-up bar welcomed Dr. Louis Sullivan, affectionately nicknamed Doc Lou, to their stage for the first time on the last Friday of August.

The atmosphere was decidedly bohemian; the music crashed into the crowd and they began to groove together like a single entity, consumed by the raw power that Doc Lou commands.

“It’s the randomest collection of cool people under flashing lights that I have ever seen,” said Julia Johnson, a VSU spring ’09 graduate. “I would pay 100 bucks to see and hear these guys, but thankfully they only charge 5.”

Dr. Louis Sullivan has been illuminating the Valdosta music scene for the past six years. Doc Lou’s sound transcends definition by twisting the genres of trance, electronica, funk, jazz, and rock together. The innovative group completes their performance with a psychedelic light show. The journey is layered; the music is not only felt in the riffs, but seen in the colors and expressed with movement.

“The music created a mood,” said Laurel Kaufmann, senior English major and longtime fan. “Throughout the room, the unparalleled energy influenced the people and they danced. It was beautiful.”

The four man band consists of bassist Ryan Juneau, lead guitarist/synthesizer Chase Nichols, guitarist Kyle Davis and drummer Mason Davis. The Albany, Ga. natives, who have been friends for years, all contribute their vocal talents. The saxophone and other horns are brought into the mix by unofficial members Mike Walton and Kenneth Edmondson from the VSU jazz department. Nicholls and Davis, also members of the jazz program, can be heard in the Student Jazz Combos played in the Whitehead Auditorium on Nov. 23 at 7:30p.m.

The Doc Lou enthusiasts can look forward to the group’s Halloween gig at Charley O Corley’s on Oct 26.

“Dr. Louis Sullivan brings you a sound and an experience that you can’t find anywhere else right now,” said Philip Bishop, a media utilization specialist for Odum’s media services. “DLS is a unique and fortunate collaboration of some of the best musicians a crowd can have the privilege of hearing. When the show is over and it’s all said and done, the only guarantee is that you’ll be glad you came.”