By Emily Cummins
This Sunday, Broadway Bar in Amityville held a Long Island showcase for local bands. These ranged from the unknown to the “yeah, I’ve heard of those guys” to the fairly popular. The lineup served as a reminder that those closing the show had at one point in their lives opened some too.
Sleep Bellum Sono, a six-year-old project hailing from Huntington Station, were up first. They were unfortunately not a crowd favorite due to their disorienting sound. They partook in a haphazard exchange of harsh and mumbled vocals that masked what sounded like interesting instrumentals. At one moment you could be focused on how the guitar sounded ethereal yet thrilling, but suddenly become distracted by poorly executed screaming.
Next up were the Terrence Marciano Band, a self proclaimed tribute to classis rock with reggae undertones. Their sound was fun, but simple. Quite honestly they did not sound like anything new and served better as nice background music than capturing anyone’s full attention. At times people kept peeking in from the outside smoking area to see if they were even still playing.
Broadcaster, thankfully, were very refreshing. They had a great sound (influenced by Ted Leo, Cheap Girls and The Hold Steady to name a few) that seemed to perk the crowd up and get everyone a little closer to the stage and out of the secluded back corner. On most of their songs the drums, guitar and bass played well individually, but did not seem to fit all together.
Only in a few songs, specifically “Postage,” did it really feel as if they were playing as a band instead of chaotically layering their pieces as they did in other songs. Despite vocals falling flat live, whether it was the fault of the mic or not, they achieve something in their recording.
Ending the show were Laura Stevenson and the Cans, who made this their last stop on a very long tour away from home. Comprised of two guitars, a deconstructed drum set, two accordions, a glockenspiel and a trumpet their sound is folksy and whimsical. Stevenson, the lead singer and guitarist, delicately belts out her powerful lyrics even though she has never had formal voice lessons (except for that one time she paid a woman in the city 100 dollars just so they could run scales).
Their next album, including songs they’ve been featuring at shows for a while, is on its way to being recorded and fans are excited to be able to listen to new favorites like “Barnacles” and “Master of Art”(or as Stevenson likes to call it “Master of Fart”) in the comfort of their own homes. For now, live shows will have to do and they are simply a band that does not disappoint. Even when playing with several less Cans than normal, like they did at Broadway Bar, they always deliver the same commanding music people have started to love.
