I wanted to write this sooner, but was side tracked because I had a pretty... ugh... a pretty interesting Sunday.
Saturday was Bellwether's (my new band for anyone who has not heard me shamelessly plug before) first show. I have to say from start to finish I didn't really comprehend what was happening, only in retrospect did I come to the realizations that I did.
I consider myself a veteran of the Long Island Music Scene. Wether that means anything to you or not doesn't matter, what does matter is that I have been doing the whole band thing for about a decade at this point. I have played countless shows to crowds of 5 people to 500. I have played numerous venues like The Crazy Donkey and The Knitting Factory and have shared the stage with bands like Catch 22 and The Ataris. I have been in AP Magazine and on MTV. I must admit that I am a well seasoned performer and musician. This being said, you may understand why Saturday was so surreal for me.
I showed up at The Vibe Lounge on Saturday a tad discouraged. The show was pretty empty with the exception of the first bands parents and Mark Masterson, who is a poster boy for the scene. I feel like everyone should take examples from this kid who as a Sophomore in High School started up LIMS Radio which completely boosted the morale of the entire scene and in currently working on projects that will make your head spin. Not to mention this kid goes to shows and stays for EVERYONE! One day his name is going to be uttered with the likes of Nat Giambalvo and Joe Ragosta, just you wait and see. But I digress, the place was a fucking hole.
Outside, Desmond is trying to push tickets and things were not looking so great. So typical me started to get ready to play for my girlfriend, my friends who were able to attend and the staff of Vibe.
I get a text from Travis telling me that the second band is on their last song so we should start getting our shit ready. When the band finished I walked on stage with my head hung low, bummed at the thought that our first show would be a dud. What I saw when I turned from my bass rig to the crowd was a first for me. Some how from the moment I stepped on stage to the point that I got done setting up the place filled in. It was in no way sold out but it was certainly a healthy crowd for Vibe.
With my spirits lifted I wait for the rest of the guys to set up. Once we got the go ahead I looked at the guys, Matt, Kyle, Desmond and Bryan and we all were thinking the same thing: This is it.
I hesitated for a second and finally got on the mic and told the crowd that "We are Real American Heros so please remove your hats and prepare for The National Anthem." We placed our hands on our hearts and Kyle began to play. For the first time in a long time something happened to me. I felt my heart pounding, something that had not happened to me since the first time I played Calvary. I was nervous, actually nervous. The veteran of a decade who has countless accolades was nervous.
Our set was not too different than other sets I have played. Energy was high, crowd seemed into, plenty of positive feedback. These things were typical, I was prepared for them. What I was not expecting, simply because I have never seen this happen before was what happened when we were playing our second to last song "With All Due Respects" (which we should be releasing today). Right before we started the song I walked to the mic yet again and simply said "This goes out to our good friends in Set In Color" which I am no longer ashamed to admit was sarcastic. Desmond looked at me with a nervous expression, as he stuttered about how he was not sure if we were gonna be so blunt.
That song changed a lot of things for me. Once the crowd realized what we were singing about, they erupted. Much thanks to Brian Thomann who rushed the stage to sing the gang vocals he recorded with us and Chris Regan who brought the mosh and who like Mark Masterson, I believe will be a scene legend one day. Kids I have never met before were all singing along to a song they have never heard, a first for me. I could not have asked for a better first show.
The rest of the night was also incredible. Life Between Sleep and City of Trees both killed it. I have been playing with those guys since the days that Valet Parking, Code: Adrenaline and This Endeavor were our main focuses and big names on Long Island. Seeing Life Between Sleep with the new line up was great. I had heard mixed reviews, but I have to say the new singer and guitar player are both excellent additions to the band. And City of Trees, my dudes who truly have found an original sound that suits them were incredible. As musicians, all of them have truly evolved into something great and it was great to see Zach, Cerney, Boha and Joe all back together again. Cerney, my dude, also dedicated a song with a hook that goes "Where has the heart gone?" to Set In Color. I very proud moment for me. Even more proud when Mark approached me and said "The revolution has begun."
I do feel the need to speak about Bright and Early, they came and gave it their all despite the crowd having dissipated to a handful of people. They deserved a lot more respect than they are given, especially from a crowd that went from explosive to gone. There is no reason to leave a show on a Saturday before it is over. That was the one downside to the night, the show was basically dead when City of Trees got off. There is no reason for that. Step up your game Long Island. Really, the scene is in your hands. There will always be bands and kids trying to make them work. But there needs to be more supporters of local music, not supporters of just their friends music.
All in all the night was great, with the exception of the minor detail.
Be on the look out for more from Bellwether. And keep supporting real music like Bright and Early, City of Trees and Life Between sleep. Be more like Mark, Chris, Brian. The kids that put as much heart into being in a crowd as bands put into playing a show.
I hope you enjoyed my novel, if you didn't, YOU CAN GET FUCKED!
nah just kidding... not really...but yea.
