The Constants to give a steady D’Jango performance

IU senior Henok Netabai walked into Café D’Jango one morning hoping to eat breakfast.

What began as an impromptu plinking of piano keys turned into the end of a hiatus for local band The Constants.

The group will be performing at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Café D’Jango.

This gig is the band’s first show since ending its temporary break. After making music for six years, The Constants decided to put music-making on hold , Netabai said.

“We’ve done everything we could possibly do to get better. We’re always trying to change, going into new genres,” he said.

Netabai said the group focused on composing rather than performing during its break.
Nic Clark plays guitar with the group and worked with Netabai on exploring different musical avenues for the group to adopt.

From 1950s- and ’60s-style music to rock ’n’ roll and now a ’30s sound, members of The Constants remained dedicated to the music even in their time off.

“Throughout the break we played various cafes and basement shows building a following. This show at Café D’Jango is less of a comeback and more a show to end the hiatus,” Clark said.

To keep with their new beginning, Clark said The Constants’ show at D’Jango will be different from their usual setup.  

“We will be playing a somewhat different set, mostly covers of old soul and rhythm and blues music,” he said.

Netabai said he was going to Café D’Jango to eat, walked in, saw the piano and started to play. Chana Eversoll, owner of the cafe, heard him playing.

“It was a very different style, a mix of jazz and rock. He only played one or two songs, and I was in the other room, but I could hear it, and it cheered me up,” Eversoll said.

Netabai said Wednesday night the group will take a jazz approach to work with the environment. Netabi hopes this willl show the band’s talent for showmanship.

“We want to play cafes where people will listen. We are going to play for the people, create an atmosphere that people will enjoy,” Netabai said.

And if its name is any indicator, the group may become a more constant presence in the Bloomington music scene.