Kicking off this evening at Astoria Hotel was the trio BRY LOVEJOY, who offered up the first appetizer. Consisting of two guitars and a bass, this was a collection of smooth, sexy jams.
While this was mainly a vessel for the signing talents of the lead singer, low voice, measured and clean, the jams had just enough mustard to get several folk moving.
A country/folk/indie vibe and is thoroughly enjoyable. However, how much better it would be with a drummer laying down some smooth jazz backing.
Next, it was a fantastic first offering from the quartet PC DAGG, who dosed out a perfect set to flow around on the floor like water, and it was the lead guitarist who gave their sound an underwater feeling.
They used a warbly effect that gave the feeling of water, not swimming yet not drowning. The feel and sensation of floating underwater, being there, added a dark/ominous feeling to the songs.
Next, I was finally treated to an offering from the sextet HOPE SLIDE, and sweet Jeebus was it ever tasty. Folk/indie/prog was their general flavor, but their sound was much more than any genre.
With four mics up there, harmonies were happening all over the place. They would mix and match all the time, with different people taking the lead, a constant variation on the vocals that was gorgeous.
A highly skilled violin was the tastiest morsel on this offering. It was nuanced and subtle, yet noticeable and gorgeous in every note they played.
The songs themselves were traveling landscapes, never sitting on one structure or pattern, always finely crafted that had the length to be allowed to breathe.
Finally, it was the perfect closer to a night of great offerings: the quartet NONARCHY, who gave us an energetic set full of bopping bangers to get the feet moving.
Much in the indie rock vein, they featured a keyboardist-cum-trombonist who was highly energized and active, giving the crowd someone to get bouncy with.
They were tight and fun, with the drummer being quite expressive, playfully hammering on their kit.
He was pleased with this evening’s offering.