A crowd of no more than 30 people filtered in to Mojo’s Saturday night for an indie-rock lineup of strong vocals and feel-good beats, but those who didn’t attend missed an evening of three ultra-strong jam bands.

The Lonely Wild opened the show with its song, “Over The Hill.” The band created a seamless blend of alternative favorites Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, the Black Keys and Andrew Bird. It played a bit of folk style with ’60s-influenced guitar sounds. Blending thick harmonies and a rich sound of keyboard, vocals, guitars and crashing cymbals, this Los Angeles-based band got crowd members near the front of the stage in its opening performance.

Cantalouper, a local alternative band, kicked off the second set with its rock standards and low, rumbling vocals. Its sound wasn’t quite as rich as The Lonely Wild’s set; according to the band members, this was their first performance without a keyboard player. Slightly murky vocals made lyrics a bit indiscernible, but the band’s overall sound was enhanced by the smooth combination of a retro guitar feel with strong bass and drums that didn’t overpower one another.

Unwed Sailor needed no vocals to wow the Mojo’s crowd. Ambient melodies and a solely instrumental setup gives this band from Seattle its edge. Think of its sound as strong background counter-melodies, but with an edge. Its sound makes it easy to get lost in the music with the reverberating guitar riffs and quick transition from one song to the next. Crowd members grabbed their brews and beverages and gathered near the front of the stage for the dreamy performance. Unwed Sailor undoubtedly grabbed the audience’s ears for the final set of the night.

Photo by Andrew Weiss. Courtesy of Johnathan Ford.

— Story by Justin Whaley