Written & Reviewed by Krysta Ayers
APRIL 10, Austin, Texas—In life, one has to embrace a “live and learn” type of approach if they’re going to accept their mistakes and avoid repeating them. Standing inside the mostly empty, 350-people room of downtown’s 3Ten, I thought that statement rang true for both gio and I. So unprepared yet up-for-anything was I to see a show at this venue, that I skipped the part where I listen to the artist before I commit myself. Like, actually listen. Because (as I lived and learned for this show) listening absentmindedly did me no favors.
In the background, gio (stylized in all lowercase and punctuated with a period, which would be too confusing to include here) has an upbeat, very rhythmically pleasant mix of pop and hip-hop sound. The melodies are smooth and easy, transitioning into new songs like a never ending lullaby. It sounds, and not in a negative way, like a lot of the “New Music” songs that Apple Music compiles into a playlist for me. His voice and tone are also pleasant—soft and even, and still youthful. There is no rasp, or tinge of a mature voice. On Spotify, he has just over 740K monthly listeners, and his most-played song, “mess it up,” has over 19 million plays. But pre-show, I had no idea what he was singing about, just that everything sounded…nice. Like I could sway a little when I watched live.
It wasn’t until gio came out on stage to open his set alongside his collaborator and tour opener, Dell Mac, that I realized the error I had made. The song was riddled with religious innuendos—not to mention, Dell Mac was wearing a shirt that literally read “Jesus”—that I had not caught before. I wasn’t hopeful that this was the only song, or that the rest of the set would be more inconspicuous. But as they worked up the crowd of maybe 40 people, gio and Dell Mac jumping across stage until the end of the song, gio lost grip of his mic, dropping it and causing it to no longer emit sound. We watched as he tried to remain calm and wait for the sound mixers at the venue to remedy the problem.
When a solution was not quick to come, gio reached into his diaphragm to call out to the crowd, getting each side to out-yell each other for a few turns before finally yelling, “We’re just going to share a mic, I think that’s the way to do this, you guys ok with that?” And so the set continued, with Dell Mac and gio sharing a mic, trading off for their verses and chorus. Without wasting too much time, or causing a big hiccup, they picked up right where they left off.
Gio, a young artist from Boston, has played a few shows before hitting Austin. Last year, he played a hometown show, toured the West Coast, then played shows in Germany and Ireland. Handling an accidental mic drop (god, was that you?) that would hinder the sound, was hopefully not something he had to experience during past shows, but if there was ever a time to exercise some problem-solving skills, tour seems like the best option.
And so, with a mic back in his hand, gio began a banter that consisted of quoting a bible verse followed by a call-and-response with a hymn (because all subtlety was gone!). The crowd, seemingly equal to gio’s age, with some young kids accompanied by parents, clapped and chanted along. They knew what they were getting into. They were excited to be there; they knew the lyrics to both the hymns and gio’s music. They should have called the tour Bible Study.
While I’ve been known to attend a Relient K concert, or sing along to Creed in a bar, Christian music, let alone a Christian show, is not exactly what I seek out. However, the lack of personal interest doesn’t take away from his valiant effort and dedication to his craft. He had control of his voice even as he jumped around and sang, and engaged with the crowd between every song. Plus, we both learned something! I learned to research (more thoroughly) an artist before my Type B personality spontaneously agrees, and he learned that he can handle a crowd should something go wrong.
Dressed in sunglasses and an oversized hoodie similar to the secular hip-hop artists that he is not, gio’s patience and ability to think quickly on his feet was commendable, and overall, it seemed like the crowd was having a great time. And really, isn’t that what any artist would call a success?