Karen Ponzio Photos
Jason Ingriselli and The Miles North at District.
District Arts and Education began rounding out a series of shows for 2020 Wednesday night at Holberton School with Jason Ingriselli and the Miles North, a five-piece band that offered a combination of sweet country and restless rock ‘n’ roll sounds into one satisfying set that viewers could enjoy from the comfort of their own homes via Facebook livestream.
Self-described on their website as “New England country music,” the band — Jason Ingriselli on lead vocals and guitar, Nick Santore on lead guitar and vocals, Erik Kukanskis on bass and vocals, Andrew Kraemer on pedal steel, lap steel, and Dobro, and George Mastrogiannis on drums — took to the stage for the second-to-last show of the year for DAE’s live music series.
A.M. Bhatt.
Executive Director A.M. Bhatt began the proceedings by talking about and sharing the information for the current campaign to save local restaurants launched by the state’s restaurant association Tuesday. Bhatt viewers to text a number given on screen to state leaders to help them get involved and to support local restaurants and do “whatever you can do” to help them stay afloat.
After saying he was “really excited” to have the band there, he also noted that DAE has “big stuff planned for next year.” And after laughing and noting that he had talked enough, he left the stage to the performers, who launched right into their songs, laden with two and three-part harmonies, layered guitars, and just enough twang and backbeat to make you feel like you might be hanging out at a bar ready to dance with a few friends soon enough.
The band dug into two songs before Ingriselli took a moment to chat, thanking everyone and saying it was “a pleasure to be here on the internet for all of you.”
The next two songs he played were the band’s most recent releases, the first being “Songbird,” released in June 2019, where Ingriselli sang about a woman so wonderful that “even the songbirds on the radio are singing about her grace.”
The next song, “Destination,” was released June of this past year, and Ingriselli told viewers to enjoy it at home with “hot chocolate, wine, beer … whatever you want on a Wednesday night.” This one rocked a little harder than the ones before, and this reporter was even moved to clap all alone in the glow of my laptop.
“You can’t call yourself a country band in New England if you don’t play Waylon Jennings,” said Ingriselli before covering “Freedom to Stay,” a tender and lovely classic that would be perfect for a slow dance (or in the case of remaining at a distance, a snuggle up in your favorite blanket).
They followed that one up with “Betting on Forever,” another slower jam from the 2018 album The Miles North, and followed that up with “Boston,” a new song that Ingriselli said was not released yet — but if you had attended the few farm shows they did this last summer, you would have heard it. He added that they recorded it last winter and were “lucky” to have a mix of it and would be releasing it soon.
The band picked up the pace again with the next song, “Pieces,” which focused on love and loss, as Ingriselli sang “I’ve been picking up the pieces since you left town.” Again this reporter found herself clapping after the song was over, the vibe of the band and the music they created eliciting a joy in hearing and seeing live music even if it was not live in the same room with all of us.
The band continued on with four more songs, Ingriselli noting with a laugh that they had “no curfew” and “they don’t shut the internet down.”
He also noted they were happy to be in New Haven, “where the pizza is great,” which made me wonder if New Haven pizza is possibly the most shouted-out “celebrity” from touring bands on all local stages.
Ending the night with the song “Green Eyes,” which allowed the band to play around with a bit more of an extended jam session, Ingriselli sang “learning so much more from my mistakes, now I know how sacrifice tastes,” eliciting one final round of applause from this reporter.
Bhatt then returned to thank the band for their “amazing set” and to remind viewers to support local restaurants and support local music.
“Life is a team sport,” he added. “Support the team.”
DAE has one more live stream for 2020 on Wednesday, Dec. 16th featuring Mike Coppola Jazz Duo and then will continue in 2021 with another series of biweekly shows beginning on January 6th with Mercy Choir. Please see District Arts and Education’s Facebook page for more info about future shows as well as videos of past shows including this one.
