nothin Elison Jackson & Co. Usher In Spring | New Haven Independent

Elison Jackson & Co. Usher In Spring

At the end of his band’s set, lead vocalist Hnry Flwr came off the stage at Cafe Nine with an acoustic guitar to play a song solo. He said was about context, noting it was special when I sing it in New Haven.”

The meaning lies in the context,” Flwr sang. But the Brooklyn-based Hnry Flwr had already set the context on Tuesday evening. The triple bill of Flwr, The Ferdy Mayne, and hometown heroes Elison Jackson turned Cafe Nine into a rest stop for these touring bands — who were continuing on to Boston and Philadelphia — and a respite for weary friends eager for spring to truly begin.

Hnry Flwr played a guitar with a large flashing light bulb hanging from it, and strung lights across the front of the stage and along his mic stand, making for a dreamy pop psychedelic vibe as the lights seemed to dance along to the music as the band played. Max Currier on bass and Abdon Valdez III on drums kept a groovy beat behind Flwr while Connor Grant on guitar and keyboard — sometimes alternately in the same song — gave Flwr’s lyrics a sweet accompaniment throughout the set. He joked with the audience, a few of whom were friendly and familiar to him before this evening; he also mentioned a new record coming out in June, and expressed gratitude for the new faces in the crowd.

The Ferdy Mayne hailed from Los Angeles, but also exuded warmth and kindness as if they were returning here to visit old friends. In keeping with their West Coast roots, their music was definitively planted in rock, though occasionally they added a country or bluesy or folk tinge to certain songs. Their lyrics, meanwhile, showed the influence of Dylan and Springsteen. Shane O’Malley Firek on lead vocals and guitar, Nick Zomparelli on guitar, David Van Witt on bass, and Nick Rapley on drums created a sound that could easily have been the soundtrack to a trip headed toward the sunset as the day eased away and the night moved from promise to presence. Firek also mentioned a new record, coming out this Friday, and showed love for touring bands and host city alike.

For Elison Jackson’s lineup on Tuesday, usual keyboard player Dan Hollenback subbed in on drums, with Sean Pulito on tambourine. Matt Belliveau and Greg Perault manned guitar and bass, respectively. Sam Perduta held down lead vocals and guitar. From the first lines of their opening number, New Britain Song” — I was born in a town where everybody frowns and my name is carved on the wall” — to the last line of their last song, Man From Lowell” — Tonight the moon is hidden and I’ve forgotten my own name” — the band had the audience, most of who were well familiar with their music, singing and dancing for the entirety of the set. Whether a song was from their latest EP or an album released five years ago, each one was delivered with a gentleness and beauty that lingered long after.

Daniel Eugene, local artist, poet, and musician, joined the band to harmonize on the song Cold Grey Concrete.” They could play a song from four years ago and it still sounds as fresh as it did back then,” he said afterward.

Karen Ponzio

Perduta and Perault.

Disco Teen,” a song that marries Elison Jackson’s garage band sound with a dance backbeat, lit up the band and the audience. The band could also slow it down for lyrically and musically intricate numbers, such as Calling Out to Everyone Who Caught One in the Jaw” and the almost teasingly bluesy Burned,” for which Perduta put down his guitar and concentrated on sensually delivering pained lyrics — I’ve been burned for the last time” — while Perault’s deep and delicious bass playing softly coaxed him along. By the time the set was through, the audience, still fairly intimate but swelled somewhat from earlier in the night, was fully satisfied with the offerings.

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