Karen Ponzio Photo
Bella’s Bartok
“Did anyone get any good deals today?” asked Joey Mains, drummer for Sean Henry, right before the band’s opening set at The State House this past Friday. He was referring to Black Friday and its holiday sales, though perhaps the best deal going was this two-band bill that also included Bella’s Bartok — the Northampton, Mass.-based group known for their theatrically ecstatic dance-party shows — who had also played at this venue last year on this same day.
It was a homecoming of sorts for Sean Henry, who had been touring the U.S. this past month in support of his latest release, A Jump From the High Dive. Born in Waterbury, where he has returned after a stint in New York, Henry said he was “glad to be back in one piece” post tour. With a band that included Brian Antonucci — who also co-produced the album — on guitar, Dan George on bass, and Mains on drums, Henry (vocals and guitar) opened the show with an 11-song set that included “every song we ever wrote,” according to Henry. Most selections were from the most recent record, including “Space Kicks,” “You Fall Away,” “Rain, Rain,” and the opener, “Can U,” in which he sang about his former home — “Lived in New York City / everyone’s a jerk / saw some ripped up dollar bills, then I went to work” — and the “simple complication” of his predicament, though there was nothing simple about Henry’s lyrics of isolation, dreamy loneliness, and hometown nostalgia.
Musically the band kept the proceedings fun and filled with enough gritty, garage-rock influenced guitar and powerful, punchy beats to get the continually growing crowd moving. The band received much applause and cheers from the get go — including right after Henry jokingly introduced himself by saying “I’m Sean Henry, in case you are wondering who the hell is up on stage.” When the set was over the crowd was closer to the stage and their responses had grown louder. They were aptly warmed up for the main event.
By the time the six members of Bella’s Bartok took their places, the audience had filled nearly every space of the venue and bodies were already pressed up against the stage. It took but a few notes for them to begin dancing, in pairs, in groups, and individually. Check out the first video above, which was the band’s first song, and you will immediately get the vibe of this show as well as the connection this band has with their fans, which they refer to as “Strange Ones.” The music at once defies categorizing while also being steeped in influences such as klezmer, punk, funk, ska, pop, folk, and simply having a good time.
The dancing did not let up for the entire show. In fact, it got more feverish and frenzied as time went on. By the fourth song lead vocalist Asher Putnam was down to his tank top and leaping into the audience to dance with them. He was soon followed by bassist Dan Niederhauser and the floor shook with the collective energy of the moment (see second video).
Putnam had the crowd eating out of his hand throughout. When he said shhhh, the room got almost completely silent. When he asked people to sing along, the room erupted in harmony. When he kicked his legs up, the crowd jumped along with him. “We’re gonna work off all of those mashed potatoes,” said Niederhauser.
Niederhauser also announced that the band had been working on a new EP. “We have a whole new world waiting for you in 2020,” he said. “We have so much crazy shit to share with you, more music and more friends, stick around.”
The crowd responded joyfully. They did not want it to end, shouting ”one more song” loudly after the band left the stage. When the band returned and started to play its encore, the crowd began singing “la-la la la-la la-la la-la ” even before the band did.
“They always know this one,” Putnam said to Niederhauser with a huge smile. “Turn to the person next to you and teach them how to sing this song,” he said, though it appeared that very few people needed to learn it. The dancing resumed, and floor shook once more. For fans of the wild and wonderful ways live music changes you, it was the best deal of the year.
