Thursday, Sep. 03, 2009

Ben Deignan brings his ever-changing show to The Loft

Ben Deignan, dressed in a vintage “Ghostbusters” T-shirt, is about to do an acoustic version of Ginuwine’s mid-’90s R&B hit, “Pony.”

You stare at the YouTube clip’s “play” button apprehensively, knowing this could be bad. Really bad.

But intrigue gets the best of you — and seconds later, you’re dancing along to what initially screamed disaster.

Somehow, the song works.

Heck, you don’t even flinch when Atlanta-based Deignan says “flossin.”

Deignan, who wows online fans with acoustic covers of tunes like “Umbrella” and “Poker Face,” comes to The Loft Saturday.

Don’t be mistaken: He and his band, Suburban Soul, have original songs. But when you’re performing long sets for party-hungry crowds, those songs only go so far.

“We’re a young group. We don’t have hours and hours of original material,” Deignan said.

Still, Deignan and his band are picking up steam on the national and regional music scene.

Recently, they opened for Collective Soul in a sold-out show at Atlanta’s Tabernacle.

“The biggest thing for a band like us is just to continue to grow,” Deignan said.

What should Saturday’s fans at The Loft expect? Anything but a formulaic rock show.

“Every time we play, it’s a different show — even for us,” Deignan said.