Archive for March 2019

Francesca Blanchard and Chazzy Lake at ArtsRiot and Haley Jane at Orlando’s March 15, 2018   Leave a comment

I had a great time seeing music Friday night at ArtsRiot and Orlando’s. It was a 57 degree day and the world was melting. The walk down to Pine street was easy and joyous and I slipped in the door and wandered into the show room. The lights were dim and the stage was empty except for one amp, two lamps and a row of candles at the front. There was a square rug in front of the stage with two chairs and two guitars and a keyboard to the right. A string of white lights flowed from the stage, around the edge of the rug and up the second of the two mic stands. Blankets and pillows filled the floor. I reached for my camera to take a picture and realized I had left it, and my note pad, at home. Oh well. The rest of the room had a couple of rows of chairs and lots of different table setups. Surely, anyone could find a comfy place to be. Off in the corner there was soup for whomever wanted.

I was wondering about Chazzy Lake and had an oh, right, moment when Charlie Hill sat down and began to play an acoustic guitar. His voice sounded nice and his playing was fine. He sang a song about glasses, and a song that begins with his dog waking up from a dream. He played a love song to himself called Me that was fun, then dropped some poignant joy with So Good (I Could Die). After a bit, he brought Francesca up for a couple of songs and the way their voices blended melted me.

After that there was a quick set break then Francesca Blanchard took over. Her voice was pure and true and she played most of the songs on guitar. Her between song banter was witty and fun and added to the cozy atmosphere. I think she opened with Maria and she definitely played that song about stalking ex-girlfriends on the internet. The song about the world spinning slightly off-kilter seemed to generate a little extra spark with the audience. She moved to the keys for a gorgeous piece called piano song which also elicited a lot of love from the crowd. After a bit she brought Chazzy back and they played a couple of covers. I don’t know the second one, but it was great. The first was a version of Only Love Can Break Your Heart that was just stunning.

After the set I headed quickly back to town. A new old venue called Orlando’s had just opened up at 1 Lawson Lane. I thought it was going to be Hayley Jane and the Primates but it turned out to just be Haley Jane. That’s fine, since she is such a strong performer. There was a small table and one chair right in front of the stage. I took the invitation and sat and listened. She can unleash her powerful voice when she wants but she also sings with a lot of nuance and I reveled in it as she played rock songs on the acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, the place was packed with a Friday night crowd with little or no focus on the music. Some people were getting into it, but most were there to hang tout and chat. Haley seemed unfazed by the din and charged through her set. At some point I realized I was tired and my drink was empty, so I headed out. I was hoping for a full on rock show, but I was close enough to the stage that I could focus on the wonderful singing and playing, and am glad I stopped in.

The rest of the walk home was lovely. Sorry, no pictures this time. Next time, I promise.

Posted March 24, 2019 by tmusicfan in Rock Shows

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Radio Show 296 Thursday March 7, 2019 9-11pm Eastern US Time on WBKM.ORG   Leave a comment

WBKM poster

http://wbkm.org/

 

Tonight’s local music radio show on WBKM.ORG will run from 9-11pm Eastern time Thursday March 1. You can stream it from the website or here: WBKM It will go as follows.

Song before: Countdown – Rush

intro

From our small city to the great big world, these are the Sounds of Burlington. Let’s begin tonight with a cool artist who has been playing in a cool band who just released a solo album.

1.) Better Off Alone – Meg Rice
2.) My Fear Of Losing You – Milton Busker
3.) Your Funeral – Zeus Springsteen
4.) 1965 – The New Siberians

That’s the next song on the Siberians great eponymous first album. Zeus played a killer show Monday at Higher Ground. Great song from Milton and it’s nice to see Meg step out. OK, this next band are from Rhode Island and they played Burlington once in the ’90’s and they have still stuck with me.

5.) We’re The Loops – The Mockingbirds
6.) Accidental Graveyard – The Dead Shakers
7.) Safe To Say – SWALE
8.) Mr Reed – Seth Yacovone Band

Seth and the band will be at the Old Post in South Burlington on Saturday. Swale will be at ArtsRiot on Saturday. The Shakers will be at Junktiques Collective on Saturday. If you like all three songs, you will have a tough choice to make. This next band will be at Radio Bean on Sunday, yea.

9.) The Space Between – The Nancy Druids
10.) Right Bright Lord – The Mountain Says No
11.) Waste Of Time – Preece
12.) If You Die – The Wards
13.) Jurassic Bark – Doom Service

That is on the Live From Robot Dog Studio Volume 2 that just came out. I really want to thank Ray Padgett from County Tracks for writing such a nice story about my struggle with my mother’s death last year, and the way that music helped me get through it. That was very nice. The Wards rocked us in the ’80’s and will continue rocking us later this evening. Great songs from Preece and Mountain. Both can be obtained for free on the Live From Robot Dog Studio Volume 2 album. I’m so psyched to see the Druids on Sunday. OK, It’s time to talk about a naughty word that apparently is fine to say in public by a fine moral leader like the President Of The United States. Wow, our decency standards as a nation are just gone now, as proven by the moral tolerance of the President’s speech by his “moral” base.

14.) Bullshit – Blue Button
15.) There’s A Problem – Mr. Doubtfire
16.) Fear The Government – The Wards
17.) Weapon Factory take 4 – The Wards
18.) Bernie Is A Punk – BERN UNIT
19.) Feel The Bern – Violint Wednesday

That song is such a lovely look at life when Bernie was Mayor of Burlington. He would make a decent President. Nice reworking of the Ramones song by the band from California. I though a double shot of Wards would be nice. I don’t think we need to fear the government but we do need to elect decent caring people, which we often do not do for odd reasons. Nice rockers from Doubtfire and Button. OK, here’s a brand new punk song.

20.) A Song About Riding Bikes Adrienne Cooper Smith
21.) Awake To Steak – Black Hairy Tongue
22.) Six O’ Clock – The Wards
23.) Decide – Dave Jarvis Band
24.) Prime – Black Rabbit

Great rocker from Rabbit. That’s not even on one of their albums yet. Classic ’90’s rocker from Dave. Nice punk from the ’80’s with the Wards. BHT straddled that line between the ’80’s and ’90’s. Adrienne is out rocking us today. This next band is doing the same.

25.) This Town – Suburban Samurai
26.) An Obscene Amount Of Debt – Sink or Swim
27.) United States – The Wards
28.) We Need Bigger Knives – As We Were
29.) Bury Me Easy – Real Talk

Cool song from their new album. Were played around in the early 2010’s. American Imperialism was in full force in the ’80’s as the Wards so nicely point out. Sink and Suburban are out and about rocking us hard. This next band is doing the same.

30.) Warmonger – Smokestack Lightning
31.) Gettin’ High – Heavy Plains
32.) Bit O Honey – Happy Spangler
33.) Magic In This Mystery – Robin Gottfried Band

Robin and his band will be at On Tap Bar & Grill on Saturday. Fun song from Spangler. Great rockers from Heavy and Smokestack. Well, I hope you enjoyed checking out the music of our town. Let’s do it again next week, shall we?

Outro

Songs after
Waverly Steps – Fish
Poets – Tragic
Rainbow in The Dark – Liliac
Catch The Rainbow – Rainbow
The Trooper – Liliac
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son – Iron Maiden
Heavy – Clever Girls
Get Me Outta Here – Deep Purple
Dormant Magic – Jason Baker

The Nancy Druids at Radio Bean March 10, 2019   Leave a comment

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I had a great time seeing music last night at Radio Bean. I got out of work a little early on a snowy day after the time change, and started catching up on show write-ups. I finished the previous night’s story a little after nine, grabbed a quick bite to eat and was out the door at 9:45.

I made good time and walked in as the church bells rang 10. I got in and settled and chatted with Kirk and Barbara from Happy Spangler, thanks for the drink, and then it was showtime.

I found a comfortable place to stand and The Nancy Druids began to shimmer the universe with their beautiful rock sound. They opened with the song about how the sky is all around us now then lit into December. By the end, Sean’s guitar rippled with rock glory. Just Another Day started with a heavy rock stomp lead by John’s bass and Ann Mindell‘s drums. It went through a couple of Beatlesque choruses then Sean unleashed a killer guitar solo at the end. Up next was the sweet rock pop of Vondlepark (sp??). There is something about that song that always makes me float to a happy place and the version they played last night is still with me now. They kicked up the volume for the heavy rocking I Can’t Remember Who You Were and I reveled in Ann’s drumming. By Design is super catchy and rocks hard and was nothing but joy. We found Salvation all around then experienced a few Bitter Days. Sign had a nice bounce to it and is still delightfully stuck in my head, then they brought the pace to full rock glory for Halo. Again, Ann’s bombastic drumming just puts that song over the top. Often, they will toss in a fun cover at the end but last night the opening rock groove of The Space Between proved otherwise. It’s one of those songs that builds and builds and ends in a hail of drenched feedback and leaves you with that happy dazzled feeling. I loved every moment of the show.

I hung out and chatted with John for a bit then took the lovely walk home

Posted March 11, 2019 by tmusicfan in Rock Shows

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Swale and Soundbrother at ArtsRiot March 9, 2019   Leave a comment

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Swale

 

I had a great time seeing music last night at ArtsRiot. I got home from work around 6 then headed out the door a little before 8. The walking was icy in the Old North End but Church street was clear and I flew down at high speed. I slowed down a little as I approached the ice sheets on the sidewalks close to the club and made it in with plenty of time to spare. I hung out with a few cool people for a bit then headed to the front.

The lights went down and SWALE began slow with Beaten Down. They followed with the slow build of Every Last One Of Us and by the late middle part of the song they had a huge fierce rocking sound capped by a staggering Eric Olsen guitar lead. The song eventually slowed to a quiet end while the steady chant of we can all be that way faded away. It was breathtaking. They lit into Safe To Say and kept rocking us hard. They eased up for a slow moody song then played a new one called Shrug It Off. I think it’s about how we can all see all of the people that we’ve ever been. Elevator was bouncy and fun, even if the lyric was terrifying. If You Get Lost was huge and gorgeous then they played a new one. Eric sang all 6,000 paragraphs, well maybe there weren’t that many words, but there were a lot of words. I think it was about how your uncle is on the internet and how God is on the telephone. They wrapped the set with a sweet version of Felon and my swooning heart only got happier.

I chatted with some cool people during the set break, then it was time for SoundBrother to play some lovely music. I had seen Zach and Sam DuPont play before but never with their band. Both are great guitar player and singers and with Tyler Bolles keeping steady bass lines and Ezra Oklan hitting hard simple rhythms with perfect precision, the band had a gentle elegant feel. They began the show with Zach and Sam alternating electric and acoustic guitars and lead vocals. As the show progressed both played electric for a while. I did not know any of their songs but liked them all and loved the way the whole show sounded. They sang about believing it all and beating hearts. They sang about pictures from your mind and pictures found in closets. They played a “banger” that rocked nicely and followed with Centerpiece. They got a little cowpunk for a song called Broadcast and rocked out the ending. They played a slow rocker where Zach played a sweet slide then they played a song which they just released a video for. They closed the show with a song called Audio Hallucinations In The Key Of C which had a trippy soundscaped ending. It was a lovely show all the way around.

I did not hang out for very long after, and took the challenging walk home. I’m so glad I put in the effort.

 

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Soundbrother

 

Posted March 11, 2019 by tmusicfan in Rock Shows

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Don Rico, Zeus Springsteen, and The Blue Stones at Higher Ground, March 4, 2019   Leave a comment

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Don Rico

 

I had a great time seeing music Monday night at Higher Ground. I got out of work, had a little time to settle, then took the short drive to South Burlington.

I got in and settled into the steadily filling room. Don Rico took the stage and played a whirlwind set of chaotic rock music. With three guitars, bass and drums the band were loud and fast and full of attitude. Their stage banter was fun and the X’s on their hands suggested that they are just getting started. They opened with a song about dollar shots that made me think of what Mr Doubtfire might sound like if they were a little breezier. They played a countryish song about getting your dicks up, a fun rocker, then one about how cool Burlington is. They played a song that was not a Nirvana song about getting stuck in a basement then wished us a Happy Valentine’s Day. They closed with a song about screaming to worship the gods. They had something going for them and it may be fun to see where they go in the future. They weren’t great, but have potential.

 

Up next Zeus Springsteen took the stage and rocked the packed house hard. They opened with the old Lobot song Lights Of Montreal then brought us A Special Kind Of Hell. I don’t know that song, but will get to know it soon. They encouraged us not to stand too close to the shadows then we had a Signal Loss. Their catchy songs seemed to delight the audience and it was fun to be part of the experience. The next one was cool then they rocked out I’ll Get You Dindone Fontain. Your Funeral lit me up and I enjoyed the next song, which I think was about dimming the lights. Car Bomb rocked hard then they closed with a punk prog song which told us don’t think about it. I’m so happy they have so many newer songs that I need to get to know. They are just amazing.

 

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Zeus Springsteen

I did not know anything about headliners The Blue Stones but when they unwrapped their gear it looked like a guitar drums duo. Remember back a few years when The White Stripes began to play and everyone loved their sound, but I really hated it and thought it was way too thin? There are very few duos that I can handle, and my fears were answered when they began to play. They were a duo and did not catch me at all. I stuck it out for three songs, but after the killer set that Zeus dropped on us, I could not find anything to latch on to. I headed out quickly and took the lovely walk home.

It’s a pretty common occurrence for me to see a band I like and a band or two that I don’t know and really discover something wonderful. It did not happen that night, but I’ll keep trying.

 

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The Blue Stones

Posted March 11, 2019 by tmusicfan in Rock Shows

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Wren Kitz, Danny & The Parts, and Omoo Omoo at The Monkey House March 2, 2019   Leave a comment

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Wren Kitz

I had a great time seeing music last Saturday at The Monkey House. I got out of work, did a fairly quick turnaround then took the slow icy walk to Winooski.

I walked in right at showtime and Wren Kitz were on and easing their way into a song. I grabbed a drink and walked to the front and let the heavy psychedelic music wash over me. They started with a familiar song abut a Master Of The Universe that made me smile. I thought they might jam out a bit but they slid into another of their more poppy songs. It was fun, then they kept up the theme with a sweet version of Sky Of Words. At the end they let it drift off into an intense jam. Maybe it was the news I had watched earlier, but you know that point when the Falcon rocket has brought you into space and the Dragon capsule has separated it and is flying steadily towards the space station? It sounded like what I imagine that would sound like. Eventually, it solidified into Georgie and they rocked that cool song to a lovely conclusion to cap the night. They are always amazing.

Up next Danny & The Parts took the stage as a trio. They began their popish countryish rockish set with the poignant Maybe There’s A War then rocked out a cool version of Drifting. They sang a song about people that you know then a couple more that I did not know but really liked. They kicked out a fun rocker that caught the room then played a cover with a blues rock stomp. Why You Putting Down That Phone sounded nice then they had a big rock finish on a song about how you want me back home. It was a really fun set.

 

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Danny & The Parts

After a short break Omoo Omoo began to play. The instrumental trio began with a dreamy slow rock jam that took a nice prog turn. It became slow and shiny for a while then rocked a bit a the end. Their sound brought to mind King Crimson and The Dixie Dregs, and they definitely had some old Rush influence running throughout. All of the songs were long jams. Some were more slow and mellow and some rocked super hard. They played for an hour or so and ended with a breezy proggy song that was quite pleasant. It was a really nice set.

I hung out for a little bit then took the long icy walk home. It was a lot of effort, but so worth it.

 

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Omoo Omoo

 

Posted March 10, 2019 by tmusicfan in Rock Shows

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Troy Millette and Bethany Conner at On Tap Bar and Grill February 23, 2019   Leave a comment

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Bethany Conner and Troy Millette

 

I had a great time seeing music a couple of Saturdays ago at On Tap Bar & Grill in Essex. I had to work that early evening, but as soon as I could, I hopped into the car and drove to the show. I got in and settled as Troy Millette Music was finishing up a song. He dove into Mr Jones and may have changed the opening lyric but I wasn’t quite settled enough to be sure. I’m On Fire had a little Dancing In The Dark in the middle, then he filled my heart with Magnolias. I think the next one was a Taylor Swift cover then he brought up Bethany Conner Music to join him on his song Home. It sounded lovely.

 

He left the stage but she continued on with a song called Home. Her dad Greg Conner played cajon on a few songs and she played solo on several. She has an endearing voice and bright attitude. Her stories are as much fun to listen to as Troy’s so it’s great that they play together so often. She encouraged her friends to step back from that ledge then said hey soul sister. She played a cool song called Clearer from her upcoming album that I’m anxious to hear. Wonderwall was fun, then she played one about how even the best fall down. She played one about the boy who went away to college and didn’t come back called I Miss You, then played a newer one called Anchor that is quickly becoming a favorite. The line about how they call it the real world because you’re not allowed to dream always catches me. Drops of Jupiter sounded great then she played a song about the one that got away. She sang 1 2 3 better come back to me, then wrapped her set with Landslide. I really enjoy her songs and am enjoying watching her evolve. The future is unlimited.

Apparently, I had missed Bethany’s first set, caught some of Troy’s first set, caught all of Bethany’s second set, so it was time for Troy to finish off the night. He opened with an Atlantic City/Fast Car medley, then played a beautiful version of his song Brothers. He played a new song that said something in your love feels like home. He followed with Ghosts (Of What We Used To Be) and I was in a very happy place. He played another medley of ’90’s songs and emphasized the dance with somebody Whitney inspiration that he has found. He brought up Jesse and Steve from Shake and played a song about running around this town. They capped the night with Running On Empty and the crowd was in a happy place.

I chatted briefly then took the long drive home. I missed a lot but did catch 25 songs and had a great night.

A Yoko Ono Tribute Night with Ouzkxqlzn, Jo Bled and Shawn Corey, Estefania Puerta, and Gahlord Dewald at Radio Bean February 18, 2019   Leave a comment

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Ouzkxqlzn

I had a fascinating and challenging time seeing music a couple of Mondays ago at Radio Bean. The show was billed as follows: “Come join us delve into the complex, vilified, influential and feminist artistry and persona of Yoko Ono (in honor and celebration of her 88th birthday) in an exploration through sound, song, interviews, performance, noise and avant-garde nonsense” It delivered.

I took the lovely walk downtown and got in and settled next to Moolb Nivek. Ouzkxqlzn began the night by weaving a magical spell of sounds and effects and clips of Yoko speaking about art. Lauren Costello began on guitar then set it on the ground and used a spring to bounce on the strings to pull out a super cool sound. She quietly sang for a while and twiddled knobs that sounded cool for a while and move to the cello for a while then back to guitar for a while and ended with quiet singing. Yoko spoke of how art is survival and the room was pleasantly stunned.

 

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Jo Bled and Shawn Corey

I knew Yoko’s music could be quite challenging but so far everything was easy and pleasant. Up next Jo Bled began some very intense drumming. If you’ve never caught up with him, you have really missed something. He is amazing to watch and listen to. A recording of Yoko’s piercing shrieking played over it with unsettling power. When that ended, Shawn Corey began reading some of Yoko’s words. I think it was mostly a list of things that you could do with your life. The drumming and shrieking began again and played out for a while then more lists were read. The back and forth continued but somewhere in the middle Corey changed the Yoko readings from lists to more of her poems. Again the drums followed and were amazing even as the shrieks ripped you apart. They went through about five rounds of that before Corey ended with one of her poems. It was such an artful thing to do.

 

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Estefania Puerta

I think the next performer was Estefania Puerta and she took the stage with a couple of handfuls of sting. She began handing them out to most of the audience so she would be connected with them. She got down on her knees and someone draped several veils over her. She had a saxophone without a mouth piece. She chanted into the bell of the instrument phrases like I’m haunted, I’m hunted and the effect was hard to define. It was completely enchanting. I’m not sure if it went for five minutes or half an hour. Time just stopped in awe.

 

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Estefania Puerta

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Estefania Puerta

Up next they ended close to where they began. Gahlord Dewald sat on the stage and pulled sounds and voices out of his gear. He created a nice flow and let Yoko’s words shine. While he patched and unpatched cords she spoke of sleep in separate cities and getting a telephone that repeats your voice back to you. It’s hard to describe how wonderful it was. It was gentle enough to easily wander into and deep enough to send you home a little changed.

I hung out for a little bit then took the lovely walk home. It was another night where our local artists went all out to celebrate art and I’m glad I was there.

 

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Gahlord Dewald

Troy Millette at Foam Brewers February 17, 2019   Leave a comment

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I had a great time seeing music a couple of Sundays ago at Foam Brewers. The show was set to go from 1-3 and I usually work weekends. February is a little slow in the gardening business, so I had the day off. I arrived just about showtime and got in the long line to get a beer.

Troy Millette Music opened with I’m On Fire and let it flow into a little bit of Dancing In The Dark. He followed with a cool new song about tidal waves and keeping myself from going under. Up next was the instantly recognizable sound of Mr Jones but he began singing the lyrics to So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll star to it, and made it sound great. This lasted for a moment and he played the Counting Crows song properly. His new song Magnolias was gorgeous and filled my soul. He began the next one with Atlantic City but it faded into something that faded into Fast Car. That slid into something about walking 1,000 miles for you before ending back in AC. Troy has a nice voice and is a nimble guitar player, but his in between song, or during song banter, really makes his shows shine. Ask yourself, would he really walk 1,000 miles for anyone, or just take an Uber and walk the last block? Either way, He followed with a sweet version of his song Run Away that left me smiling. Up next was a jam of ’90’s songs. I did not know most of them, and really like his shows so I can learn some of those classics that everyone else seems to know. I think there were parts where Slim Shady appeared and helped Adele cry, or something like that. Either way, the songs were really good. He told the story about being famous with long haul trucker due to his song Ghosts (Of What We Used To Be) and played a beautiful version of it. I think the next song was a Taylor Swift song, only because Troy mentioned it, then he followed with something that sounded familiar. He reworked it a bit but Omaha sounded really cool. I think the next song was about how there’s no love worth saving like one that shares your name, then he played one about getting lost in my mind. He filled my heart with joy by playing a couple of originals back to back. Home was really sweet and so was Anna-Marie. He followed with a very new original about wanting to fix this and making it real and I was in a happy place. He told a fun story about playing drunk at the Skinny Pancake the night of GPN then kicked out a fun version of Running On Empty. He announced that he had just recorded the next song with Ryan Cohen at Robot Dog Studio and played the coolest mellowest acoustic Enter Sandman that you may ever hear. I love his version so much. Brothers sounded sweet, then he competed the Crows hat trick with Round Here. Up next was another classic that had everyone in the room singing “I want it that way.” It flowed through a few more songs, and he spoke about how everyone has a little Whitney in them, then ended at the beginning. He wrapped the night with another suite of songs that started by being stuck up on some stage singing sad songs, went into Puple Rain, was forever yours faithfully for a bit, slid through a little Bohemian Rhapsody then ended with Let It Be.

I was impressed that he played a full two hour show without a break and walked out the door with a huge smile inside and out. What a great afternoon of music.

Posted March 10, 2019 by tmusicfan in Rock Shows

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A Midwinter Night’s Dream with Henry Finch and The Capacity Ensemble, Brad Barr, Arc Iris, and Superhuman Happiness, and Ouxkzqlzn at the Black Box Theatre February 16, 2018   Leave a comment

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Zach and Superhuman Happiness in the atrium

I had a delightfully weird time seeing music a couple of weeks ago at the Black Box Theatre. There were a ton of cool shows happening that night, but his one seemed too odd not to check out.

I wandered downtown and found the path along Battery street and took it to the theater. I was a bit on the early side and they had the atrium open, but the theater was still closed. I sat on a bench at the edge of the room and listened as two of the guys from Superhuman Happiness played synths and Zach from Arc Iris sat at the piano and jammed for an hour or so. As the room slowly began to fill, masked mimes flooded in and plied us with tasty food. I got a drink and chatted with a bunch of cool people but was mostly lost in the endless playful musical jam. At one point, someone tapped Zach on the shoulder and grabbed part of the keyboard and began to play. Zach stepped away, and I think it was Henry Finch who was now playing the grand piano solo. The theater doors opened and a few people began pushing the piano, with Henry, into the main room. They pushed him to the front of the stage and the band joined in. The Capacity Ensemble. featured several singers, cello, clarinet, drums, and Henry on piano and began playing crazy fiery jazz. They played a song with a gypsy feel, then a rocker, then followed it with a tea ceremony song. A soulful bluesy rocker featured a lyric about say, say my name. They followed with a cool song with a huge piano sound then eased off for a bluesy rocker to end their set. It was really fun.

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Henry Finch and The Capacity Ensemble

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Henry Finch and The Capacity Ensemble

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Henry Finch and The Capacity Ensemble

I wandered around the dreamy room for a bit and watched people enter the tiny room where the giant head dispensed futures or advice or something. I wandered across the room, and in one of the corners, visible behind silk curtains, Ouzkxqlzn used a wrench to elicit weirdly beautiful noises from her guitar. She is so amazing.

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Ouzkxqlzn

After a bit, a hooded figure took the main stage and began singing and playing guitar. The people at the front of the stage sat in a semicircle which created a mini theater in the theater. Brad Barr began with a Jimmy Page standing on a mountain calling powerful forces vibe, then settled into a lovely countryish instrumental. He followed with a slow and moody song on electric guitar which encouraged us to close our eyes and take his hand. He followed with a really sweet song on acoustic and wrapped up on electric with a deep song about how death transforms us. It was a stunning set.

 

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Brad Barr

I zipped back to the corner for a bit and let Ouzkxqlzn’s music wash around me. I hung out for a bit before several of the evening’s hosts began moving the crowd back to the atrium. We hung out there until the doors opened with a slight reworking of the room. A sax and trumpet player lead us back in then Lee Anderson got up to speak about his love for our community. He then introduced Arc Iris, who set a cool tone as Jocie emerged from the box on the stage. They jammed out a heavy dancey set that had an almost industrial feel. Jocie wandered into the crowd for one beautiful dreamy song then they followed with one that had an electronic Mimi on the Beach vibe. They rocked out one more song then called it a night.

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Arc Iris

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Arc Iris

At some point the piano had been moved to the middle of the theater room. Zach moved from the stage and sat at the piano and began to play. He’s so talented, I could listen to him play forever.

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Zach

After he wrapped up, Superhuman Happiness kicked out some heavy dance grooves and kept the party going. Puppets wandered the room. People got into the roller ball and rolled around the room. Lots or people just danced to the beats and smiles were everywhere. At some point Brad and the Arc trio joined SH and locked into a fun jam. They played for a while then reconfigured back to the Superhuman duo.

I hung out for a while, but as it got late, I headed out the door. The walk home was lovely and my dreams that night weren’t anywhere near as fun as that dreamy show.

 

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Superhuman Happiness and friends