Durand Jones and the Indications
Channel 24
October 25, 2025
Photos by Paul Piazza
Durand Jones and the Indications recently played a sold-out show at Sacramento’s Channel 24. It was the first night of a two-night stand for the band, who were celebrating the release of their excellent Flower album earlier in summer, their first record since 2021’s Private Space. The new record celebrates somewhat of a return to the band’s vintage soul sound, after exploring disco and silky funk sounds with much more bass and extensive use of synth and strings on their last effort. Fittingly, it was a full-on fall harvest of sweet soul sounds and soaring vocal harmonies all evening long.
One of the things that brought overwhelming attention to this group, who first came together at the Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, is the overwhelming talents of their duel lead vocalists. The group’s musicianship is also fantastic, of course. Guitarist Blake Rhein not only handles production on the latest effort, but is a prolific songwriter and player. However, their vocals are what put them on another level. Frontman Durand Jones belts it out in a smoky, smooth, sensuous voice that can be reminiscent of Sam Cooke or James Brown at times. Meanwhile, Aaron Frazer, the bands drummer, has a gorgeous falsetto that is delicate, dreamy and angelic.
On this October evening in Sacramento, the group played a pretty even blend of songs from Flowers, Private Spaces, and 2019’s excellent American Love Call. However, the biggest cheers of the night from the packed crow were reserved for a pair of songs which are found on different releases by the band. One was the band’s EP version of “Cruisin’ in the Park,” which the band wrote and released in 2021 as a loving thank you to the Chicano lowrider and soul culture, who were some of the band’s strongest early supporters. The other song was “Is It Any Wonder?,” a delicate and reverent song that features Frazer’s signature falsetto and is deeply rooted in 60’s inspired soul. The crowd exploded with sustained cheering after that one.
And indeed, the vibe was high all night long during the headliners set. Both Frazer and Jones have released solo efforts recently, which led some to believe the Indications might not be on the road as much in the future, but this tour dispelled that thought with a powerful turnout and a commanding performance that designated this band a must see for years to come.
Opening the show were The Psycodelics, a funk-rock outfit from Charleston, South Carolina. The band brought a lot of energy, but it was difficult to give them a clean listen, due to the bass being turned up to the point of overwhelming the other instruments.
