by Dusty Teng
Staff Writer

None the Wiser will make its debut performance in Boone at Cafe Portofino on Thursday. The band will promote two of its most recent projects: a live double CD and a documentary-style DVD.

“Tiger Style,” recorded live at The Blind Tiger in Greensboro, was released in December 2003. The album includes both original material and cover songs.

“It’s completely live; no tricks, no bells, no whistles. Half the CD was recorded while we were in full costume for our Christmas party,” bassist George Westberry said. “This was the longest and fullest attempt at a CD that we have done yet.”

Although None the Wiser was formed in 1998, various members of the band have come and gone. “Tiger Style” features the current line-up of Westberry, keyboardist Jeff Yetter, drummer Josh Tench, guitarist Michael Zatwarnytsky and guitarist Chris Lord.

“This line-up has been together for about a year. This CD in particular has a lot more cohesiveness to it. There have been a lot of improvements,” Yetter said.

The group also recently produced its “Live at Studio E” DVD, recorded at Elon University.

“[“Live at Studio E”] is not a traditional live DVD. It’s done in a VH1 "Storytellers" format. It’s laid-back and fun,” Westberry said.

The Greensboro-based band’s musical influences span bluegrass, reggae, fusion and funk. While the group incorporates a heavy improvisational element in its work, the band distinguishes itself from the average jam band through the structure of its music.

“Because it’s such an eclectic mix with everyone putting in their two cents, I hate classifying it as a jam band,” Zatwarnytsky said. “We kind of have a purpose with the music; it’s scripted almost, which is kind of an oxymoron.”

The task of songwriting is distributed evenly throughout the group.

None the Wiser songs are written from experiences such as Zatwarnytsky’s having to jump out of a burning building, according to the lyrics of ‘Run.’

“[The songs] are almost poetry rather than a story. It can turn to nonsense, but we balance it out,” Yetter said.

None the Wiser took a month-long hiatus to practice and work on new material for their upcoming shows.

“We’ve been concentrating on writing good music. The more we play together and the more we do together, the more the writing process evolves,” Tench said.

The quintet’s Boone performance marks the beginning of an extensive tour of the Southeast. A highlight of the band’s tour will be their appearance at FloydFest in Floyd, Va., this summer.

“We try to keep [shows] high-energy, but we throw in a few lower moods. It’s a mix of technicality and pure feel,” Lord said. “It’s a good chemistry.”

None the Wiser will perform at Cafe Portofino on Feb. 26 at 10 p.m.

For more information about the band, visit www.nonethewiser.com.