We have been meaning to check out the Brooklyn Bar, so we were pleased at the prospect of visiting the Brooklyn Arts Center’s more casual side while catching a bonafide hard rock show at the same time. While the BAC is known for hosting large acts (check out our last review on Brandi Carlile at the BAC), they’ve recently begun opening up to host local bands, open mic nights, and other cultural events. On these nights the back bar is moved onto the floor of the main hall, a few high top tables and chairs are placed throughout the room, and cornhole boards and beer pong are set up along the sides.
We arrived as the first band was getting ready to start their set within minutes of the advertised start time (hooray for a show starting on time!). Clarity for Ransom is a brand new rock band (this was their very first show), but the musicians are all seasoned experts, and all but lead singer Laura White have been in touring bands before.
White has an amazing voice with a lot of power behind it, and she hits the notes effortlessly without getting lost in the wall of sound behind her. Paul Heiber is a solid guitar player who played his parts well without overshadowing the vocals. The band’s backbone was the completely in-sync rhythm section of Nic Martinez on bass and Holly Fucili on drums. Fucili’s playing was aggressive but clean, and she and Martinez kept a steady pulse throughout. Clarity for Ransom played a mix of slow and fast hard rock, a full set of dark, brooding songs, with titles such as “Succubus.” This band is only going to get better and better as they play more; the talent is there and, as they get more comfortable with the music and with each other, they’re sure to be a force to be reckoned with on the Wilmington rock scene.
Dirty Dakotas was the second act to take the stage. Dirty Dakotas have been a staple on the original rock music scene for years. The band has been a revolving door of sorts for guest musicians and members who play when they can, which keeps their sound fresh. Anchored by husband and wife rockers Stephanie Hart (vocals/guitar) and Chris Hart (bass) who also perform as a duo, the Dirty Dakotas are one of those bands that will rock anytime and anywhere just because they love it. On this particular night, we got to see their new drummer, Will Evans, in action. While Steph Hart’s vocals are always full of passion and intensity, Evans’ drums, coupled with Chris Hart’s work on bass, added depth and a new level of heavy rock flavor to the performance. Frequent guest guitarist Steve Rossiter completed the night’s line-up, throwing in leads while blending nicely with the rest of the band.
The next band, Interrobang, was all youthful bravado, as lead singer Chris Vickery shredded on his guitar and sang with gusto while wearing nothing but a kilt and sneakers. They made a lot of noise for a three-piece band, but it’s a good kind of noise that fills your ears with riffs and melody rather than just trying to fill the room. Drummer Garrett Ward and bassist Logan Greeson both sang backing vocals without missing a beat on their own instruments. The songs were rockin’ and the whole band threw themselves into the performance. Interrobang is fearless when they perform and their larger than life stage presence kept the crowd engaged.
Open Wire was the final band and technically the headliner. It was obvious that this band is very comfortable together, with all members actively headbanging and engaging the audience. Comprised of Daniel Wescotty on guitar, Phillip Milligan on drums, Eric LeRay on bass, and Matt Thies on vocals, Open Wire is a cohesive unit and it’s surprising that they’ve only been together since 2011. Thies led the band and the audience through a raucous set that produced some of the heaviest songs of the night. Wescotty performed killer guitar work while the audience pressed up against the stage and lifted their beers in the air.
The night was an awesome cup full of hard rock and despite sound issues, you really can’t beat getting to see four great bands in such a great venue for $5 (cheaper than a crappy mixed drink), all while playing cornhole at the same time.
In typical Soapbox fashion, Saturday night’s show got off to a late start. We’ll always wish this wasn’t the case because we’ve watched folks leave rather than waiting around while it gets later and later. Maybe we’re getting old or something. Luckily we were able to stay until last call because Saturday night was the best night of music ever!
First up was Dylan Linehan, a brand new musical phenom who seemingly came out of nowhere. Linehan was incredible, truly captivating the audience from her first song to her last. She launched into a style of music that could only be described as a blend of theatrical, rock opera, classical, a sprinkling of pop, and a whole lot of “wow” thrown in. These were original songs that didn’t sound like anything we’ve heard before, and that excites us to no end because it just doesn’t happen very often. Linehan’s voice can go from a subtle whisper to operatic bellowing within a single phrase, all while her hands deftly navigate the keyboard. Her piano playing is exceptional, and it’s wonderful to see a singer this good not sacrificing her musicianship for the sake of vocals. Linehan’s music is pure jaw-dropping magic.
It’s difficult to interact with the audience when you’re sitting behind a piano, but Linehan easily manages to be captivating and welcoming – there was an audible gasp of surprise when she admitted that this was her first opening gig as a solo artist. On “Another Day Like Sunday,” Linehan eased into what seemed like a mellow ballad, then brought it up to intense rock opera level, and back down again. One of her songs, “For Us” is featured in an upcoming movie. We’re not surprised. We also weren’t surprised to hear that she’s currently writing a rock opera. The final song of her set was a vaudevillian carnival of a piece where she sang in between tricky piano riffs that brought the house down, “White horse you fill my thirsty dreams…Brand you with this love of mine, don’t give up on me.” When Linehan finished her set, the crowd was hooting and hollering on their feet, demanding an encore. But she is humble, and she didn’t even think about cutting into the other bands’ time. With a kind personality that can light up a room and lyrics that are as strong as her performance, we can bet that Linehan is going to be quite successful. See her now – she plays one Wednesday a month as a solo act at Costello’s and also performs frequently as the newest member of local cover band Velvet Jane.
Next to take the stage was the The Nightmare River Band, the only out-of-town band to make this review. The New York based group delivers high energy punkabilly music with songs that are catchy but not formulaic. They easily change pace from frenzied americana/rock to a slow but determined groove and then back again, all while staying completely together as a band. Lead singer Matt Krahula transitioned from song to song with comedic banter in between, and his band mates were sure to jokingly rib him and remind the audience that it was his birthday. One song featured the tagline, “Built a house, when all you need’s a home,” while an honest ballad about getting a DWI noted that “It’s rain without a cloud in sight….life just stops…hold me tonight as I’m falling from grace.” Their sound was reminiscent of Flogging Molly as they launched into what sounded like an Irish drinking song, before coming out the other side with a song that mentioned both Jeffrey Dahmer and “Frederick Douglass staring at the drugless.” The Nightmare River Band put on one hell of a show.
The final band of the night was D&D Sluggers, who have been a favorite of ours since their inception. Although Tim White and Dustin Overcash both got their start in more traditional bands (we met the guys several years ago on the acoustic open mic circuit when they were both in other projects), they found their true calling when they mixed their love of music with their love of video games. The result is danceable and fun music that is part of the up and coming chip-rock movement.
D&D Sluggers always put on a great show, but they really outdid themselves this time. After filling the stage with purple and teal balloons (the unofficial D&D colors, although much like the band-designed cartoon activity pages that were put out for fans to color, they don’t really follow the rules when it comes to branding or anything else really) the show began with “It’s a Party” and indeed it was. The crowd continued to dance and party through their entire high voltage set. They performed two new songs, including a song called “Bad End” featuring Stingesque vocals from White and Nintendo-style fighting at the end. Overcash and White are masters of theatrics as well as music – Overcash never fails to impress us with his ability to engage in a dance-off while wielding a pretty big keytar. At the crowd’s insistence, they played two encores. The first was a rendition of “Real Lovers” that involved members of the crowd holding up signs on stage while the crowd spell-chanted “D&D S.L.U.G.G.E.R.S!” Yes, one of us got on stage as one of the signholders, and yes, there are pictures. It was a great way to involve the crowd, who demanded a second encore which turned out to be – what else – the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song.
The night was an impressive array of talent and camaraderie. Although the three acts were probably the most diverse we’ve ever seen share a bill, every band’s fans stayed and rocked out to the other acts. It was an atmosphere of mutual appreciation, among both bands and audience members alike. D&D Sluggers sang, “It’s a party, you can dance if you want to.” And we did.
We are also proud to introduce the video companion to the text review. Check it out and read the full review below!!
Wednesday night we hit the Brooklyn Arts Center on 4th Street for the Brandi Carlile concert. It was a packed house. Local musician Mike Blair opened (without the Stonewalls), followed by Andy Hull. Despite our initial disappointment over the lack of a female opener, Carlile’s show was fantastic, much more rockin live than her alt-country recordings.
The show started with an old 78 playing on a gramophone, followed up dramatically by a wall of noise. This show was big. Songs went from soft, nuanced singing to huge, epic escalation. The sound quality alone was amazing. We’ve never heard better sounding drums, and drums that weren’t amped too loud! Brandi switched from acoustic guitar to electric guitar to piano. At one point the band quieted the audience and did a full song completely unplugged, nothing amped, no microphone, just upright bass, acoustic guitar, violin and vocals. It sounded fantastic. During the encore, the crowd went wild for the new single “That Wasn’t Me,” the twins kept on smiling, and Brandi tipped her hat to us at the side of the stage.
Thursday night we went to the Stone Soup Songwriters’ Showcase at the new venue TheatreNOW. The showcase, held on the second Thursday of each month, is the brainchild of event organizer and local musician Susan Savia. We arrived at the show a couple of performers in; while most shows say they are going to start at a certain time and then start at least an hour later, this show starts promptly at 7:30pm, and anyone who attempts to talk over the music will be shushed just as promptly. It’s a rare delight to walk into a crowded room where everyone is paying attention to what is happening onstage, and you know you won’t be sitting around for hours waiting for the music to start.
TheatreNOW is a brand new building that sticks out in the rough-around the edges neighborhood on 10th Street. Already home to dinner theatre and a gospel jazz brunch, as well as movie screenings, this is a space we can see hosting a lot of community-oriented events. Equipped with tables throughout the room, bar seating, and a balcony all pointed in the direction of an impressive stage, the room was filled to capacity (45-60 people).
The showcase featured three song sets of original music from local artists Mike Adams, David Pell, Skylar Smith, and Brent Stimmel, as well as Paul Obernesser who closed out the evening with a set of his own despite working behind the bar all night. The featured musician was Taylor Chadwick Bryan (also known as Chad Taylor), a 20-year-old college student and country singer.
We enjoy most kinds of music here at KFR, however neither of your capable reviewers would describe ourselves as being “into” country. So we were a little unsure whether we’d be able to give a country singer a fair review based on our own personal tastes.
However, Bryan could have been singing any genre of music and it wouldn’t matter. Several things were immediately apparent: he loves music and the joy he gets from performing is mirrored by the joy the audience receives listening; he can sing, and he’s not afraid to go for it with a big note; and he can write catchy radio-friendly songs. Bryan took the stage looking every part the modern cowboy in a large hat and boots with tight jeans. He sang songs that most 20-year-olds growing up in the south would relate to – songs about girls, driving around, and a homage to “homemade wine and good times” on which he was joined on harmonica by Clayton Cole. Bryan’s acoustic set also featured superb leads by acoustic guitar player Anthony Lowery. The addition of the second guitar gave the set depth and fullness, and raised the music to the next level.
The showcase wrapped up around 10:00 and we were ready to call it an early night, until we drove by Projekte and saw there was a three-piece band playing to a decent-sized crowd. Projekte is an art gallery/bar/coffee house at the corner of 3rd and Castle that recently re-opened under new ownership. The band, Axiom, was engaged in an epic jam of world music as we walked in. We were immediately distracted by the vivid paintings adorning the walls. The pieces had underlying music themes, integrating guitars and keyboards throughout and invoking the idea of sort of an Alice in Wonderland with musical instruments. The stunning display was created by local artist Cammeron Batanides.
After taking in the artwork, we turned our attention back to the band, who had just finished what seemed to be a 10-15 minute song that featured congas, bass, and solos on both melodica and acoustic guitar. Lead-singer Perry Smith looks every bit the everyman, but he managed to sing in Spanish while juggling improvised solos on multiple instruments. Axiom is a trio comprised of Smith on vocals/guitar/melodica, Diana Zaccaria (Dr. Z) on bass/vocals, and Matthew Waltenberger on percussion. We’ve seen Smith and Zaccaria play before as part of Cosmic Groove Lizards, but we especially enjoyed them as part of this trio. All three members are seasoned musicians and they riffed and improvised off each other for the duration of their set. We also spent some time talking to Waltenberger afterward and he noted that he will be giving Middle Eastern drum classes at Projekte.
Friday night we set out for recently renovated and reopened Orton’s Underground (formerly Orton’s Pool Hall, which has been referred to as America’s oldest pool hall). Entering through a narrow opening on Front St. we were expecting a tiny little room at the bottom of the stairs in which we’d be battling claustrophobia all night. What we found was a huge underground club with tables and chairs, pool tables scattered throughout, and a fairly large bar that seemed to be much too big for the lone bartender to handle. The fact that such a huge place lay in the catacombs of downtown is absolutely amazing. The start time for the show was listed as 9:00, and we found ourselves walking in the door just before 10:30. A few minutes later, the first band took the stage. The opening band was supposed to be Black Hole Jets, but ended up being the Black Hellatones, minus lead singer Kelly Dickson. Guitarist Storm Castañeda launched right into some serious guitar riffs right off the bat, and he was then joined by his brother Kazz Castañeda who was just as lively on the drums. With fearless guitar solos and a larger-than-life stage presence, Storm is not just another guy with a guitar. We were watching the next generation’s Hendrix; powerful yet effortless, Storm played and danced and sang without once missing a beat or playing anything that could be considered ordinary.
At 11:15 the Black Hellatones from Jacksonville officially took the stage, with the brothers continuing on guitar and drums and Kelly Dickson taking over on vocals. Each member of this experimental/progressive rock band is active on stage and not afraid to get loud and in your face. In fact, Dickson spent just as much time off stage dancing around as she did on. The lyrics may have been hard to understand, but the band’s freedom and energy was infectious. Storm jumped around the stage without missing a note, his long hair flying about. Kazz grinned with pure joy as he wailed on the drums.
This feeling continued as The Hufton Brothers, also a three-piece band with a full sound, began their set around 12:45. The Hufton Brothers brought their share of energy, with brothers Jesse on vocals/guitar and Justin on bass/vocals, joined on drums by Shane Soles. From the sound of their recordings, the band would fit snugly in the genre of americana with some jangly bluegrass undertones. Live, however, the band rocks. The Huftons unleash on their instruments, and the sound coming through the speakers is more punk than country. The Brothers showcased new songs, which were well-received by the crowd, and they also had a videographer filming the show. From what we saw, it looks like The Hufton Brothers are gearing up for something big, and we can’t wait to check it out. When we left at 1:30 am, the boys were still rockin’.