Jake Shimon, the lead singer and songwriter for the local band Secondhand, slowly took a puff of his cigarette and began to talk about how the band came to get its name. Ironically, as he spoke, my eyes wandered to the eloquent trail of smoke from his cigarette, dispersing throughout his ratty living room. In fact, if I hadn’t been told differently, I would have expected the name Secondhand to commemorate the sheer abundance and variety of smoke that billowed all around.

However, according to Jake, he had lived off of secondhand goods his whole life. His car is secondhand. His apartment is secondhand. Jake is fine with his used stuff and he’s never aspired to ascend to the ranks of the new because it’s just unnecessary. He feels similarly about music.

The band is named Secondhand because the music they create is a synergy of the music that’s been handed down to them from a variety of rock bands. This is true for any person trying to make his or her own music. Even when someone aspires to create something wholly novel, his or her perspective is determined by the music he or she has heard and processed. The point is to take elements of the music you know and rearrange them to create something different.

Secondhand’s second release, Two Hours Late, reflects Jake’s philosophy by not pushing the borders of its genre. It’s standard fare, but fun nonetheless. The band pushes six tasty songs through the birth canal of its “acoustically driven rock with an emo feel” formula. Although none of the songs on the album sound too similar, each song features the same basic instrumentation: acoustic guitar, drums, bass and electric guitar.

Jake’s acoustic guitar serves as the foundation of the music, while the other instruments seem to dance around his melodies. Jake’s emotive voice is unwavering and consistently sentimental. He seems to feel comfortable in both falsetto and the deeper chest voice.

Jason Shafton’s bass jumps all around but is too often drowned out by the rest of the music. Derek Arnold’s guitar harmonizes nicely with the acoustic guitar and employs some subtle effects work.

Overall, the album has enough hooks to empty out Lake Mendota, but it feels under-ambitious. The music is like a spoonful of sugar. It’s very sweet, but has no nutritional value. The music could easily be broadened by another guitar track or some digital effects. However, the guitarist Derek disagrees.

A few months ago, Derek and I were getting trashed on a Wednesday night at the Kollege Klub. Both Derek and I are lovers of a variety of music, and we discussed our favorite bands and the shortcomings of other bands. This led to a passionate argument over the integrity of the Beatles. It is a well-known fact that the Beatles stopped touring after they released Revolver in 1966 and, hell, it’s understandable, considering the extent that their music relied on production.

According to Derek, a band is only as good as its live show. A live show can change people’s lives and there is no better way to demonstrate a band’s charisma and attitude than through its live show.

Along these lines, Secondhand’s album foreshadows the potential for a great live show. The band’s music seems fashioned to play live. It’s not too cerebral or complex to prevent a dance breakdown, and all of its components would translate very well to a live arena.

My premonition was validated on February 17 when Secondhand took the stage before a small but dedicated crowd at Luther’s Blues. The band kept a very cool, relaxed atmosphere, and its songs really benefited from the blast of energy that accompanies a live performance. There was simply no way to resist the catchiness of the music.

You may ask, have I changed my opinions about the importance of a live show? The answer is no. I still think that an album determines a band’s integrity, but I can now appreciate the interplay between Secondhand’s album and its live show, especially considering the band’s beliefs and intentions.

Secondhand will play another show at UNOs on March 27.

Live Show: A/B