On the heels of their showcase at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas, New York-based Jupiter One stepped through New Jersey's Maxwell's with Nashville friends Heypenny, Kyle Andrews and Jersey's own Thomas Francis Takes His Chances Friday night. Playing to a packed crowd, Jupiter One didn't take the stage until nearly 11:30 p.m.while the other bands proceeded to effortlessly warm up the crowd.

Thomas Francis Takes His Chances kicked things off with a psychedelic and at times circus-like experience. The eight Jersey natives rotated several instruments between each other. From melodica, accordion, xylophone, megaphone and even a whistle, the band mixed up the unorthodox with keyboard, trumpet, guitar and drum features.  Alternating between female and male lead vocals, the mood changed from laid-back folk, to dark and eerie yelps and screams.

With quirky onstage banter between band and audience, ("We're not on heroin. We're just this good looking."), Thomas Francis Takes His Chances brought the unexpected to Maxwell's Friday night and kept concertgoers intrigued and wondering what would happen next.

Next up was Kyle Andrews from Nashville, Tennessee. Backed by band members from Heypenny, Kyle Andrews blended acoustic with electronic. With slight resemblance to Owl City, specifically on track "Naked in New York," Andrews' danceable tracks had many captivated as his music crossed multiple genres. At times the band broke into solid instrumental features which switched gears from electronica to soulful and sultry bass beats.

Heypenny offered the crowd at Maxwell's a dance party. With hints of indie pop rock and the fast talk/rap style of Jason Mraz, Heypenny's energetic music offers escape to the dullness of everyday life. Whether it was frontman/keyboardist Ben Elkins pumping his arm in the air like he was in an episode of Jersey Shore at the start of their set or bassist DJ Murphy raising his guitar in the air, it is accurate to note Heypenny is unlike any band out there.

Tongue-in-cheek tracks about not growing older like "Oh No" got the crowd dancing and the band was easily working up a sweat onstage. Throughout their 30 minute set, Heypenny jumped into the audience dancing with the crowd and even ended their set by bringing some fans onstage to sing along.

Performing just over an hour, Jupiter One filled the room with their catchy indie-pop choruses and energetic stage presence. Bearing resemblance to British rockers Muse, it is easy to picture this band in a bigger arena setting. It comes as no wonder, then that Jupiter One will open for Regina Spektor on her upcoming Australian tour.

Alternating guitar for flute and violin throughout their set, Jupiter One provided diversity while remaining to sound like a solid rock band. The band blended older songs with the new throughout their 12-song set. The dark and somber "Kamikaze Pilots" off their debut, self titled release is a track about WWII, frontman K Ishibashi told the crowd. With flute and violin mixed in with guitar and percussion, the song showcased a deeper and more ambient sound.

Moving ballad, "Find Me a Place" switched gears to a more soulful and seductive vibe with light percussion and Ishibashi's soaring vocals. "Find me a place where the wind never blows/And I'll kiss you again" he sang longingly. "When I met you, you were the only song I'd ever want to sing/When I touched you I couldn't think of any better place to be" he continued. Slowing the night down from their previously energetic tracks, Jupiter One had the crowd in a trance.

Next track, "People In The Mountain, People Of The Ocean" off their latest release, Sunshower flowed well after "Find Me a Place." Another soft ballad that recalls an early country folk influence with soft guitar finger picking, Ishibashi's delicate vocals suited the track impeccably.  

Ending the night by calling Heypenny and Kyle Andrews onstage for an impromptu jam, Jupiter One promised fans a new album is in the works. One of their last concerts of the tour with Nashville friends Heypenny and Kyle Andrews, they'll begin work on the next album once they're off the road. If their previous two albums and crowd reaction is any indication, it's sure to be a hit.