My favorite thing about running this blog is the plethora of new music I’ve been introduced to. I have always thought highly of my ability to find new music but I would be lying if I said I would have been able to come across half of the amazing bands I have since starting this blog five months ago. I went to Amityville Music Hall last Thursday, March 15th, to see a band I featured on the blog a few months back; Haunting Portraits. Luckily for me, they weren’t the only band that threw down and captured my attention the entire time.
The first band that I saw was Elephant Jake. Because this show was put together last minute, only one member of Elephant Jake, Sal Fratto, was able to make it to the show. I was blown away by how well Sal held it down for his band and put on a kick ass performance. Elephant Jake started their (or his) set with High School. This song was a great way to introduce the crowd to the sound and style of the band. Sal’s natural talent with a guitar and golden voice captured the crowd’s attention and had every eye focused on the stage and every ear on the music.
Elephant Jake’s set was enjoyable not only because of the music, but of the pure joy that Sal presented while he was on the stage. He gave the crowd a background for each song and continuously kept everyone engaged. Sal did an awesome job at keeping the mood light and keeping everyone happy. When he asked the crowd “who used to watch Nickelodeon?” I was very curious to see what direction he was going to go in. He then began to play a cover of I Found a Way, the theme song from the hit Nickelodeon show, Drake and Josh. As a kid, I was obsessed with Nickelodeon, as most of us were, and used to watch Drake and Josh all the time. That being said, I never thought of the theme song as one that would get a crowd at a rock show to sing along! It was incredible to see a crowd filled with adults sing their hearts out to a kids tv show theme song. Maybe it’s nostalgia, or the fact that Sal made the song sound so good, but I think I Found a Way has become my new favorite cover.
Elephant Jake finished the set with two songs from their 2017 album, “Classic”; Sebastian Bauer and At Least For Now. As I stated earlier, Sal did a great job of giving a background to the creation of the band’s songs, and Sebastian Bauer is a cool one. While playing a show a while back, a man walking by the venue heard Elephant Jake and went in to give them a listen. After their set, he told them how he dug their sound and ended up hanging out with them for the night. A random stranger hung out with Elephant Jake because he heard them while walking past their show and loved what he heard. That must have been the best moment ever for the band. Because of that moment, the band wrote a song after him. “Oh I’m scared that I’m not good enough for you, and I can’t get out of my head. Well I know baby, none of that is true, and I’m alright, ask Sebastian.” I wonder what Sebastian thinks of this song. I, for one, would be honored! Sal completed the set for the band with At Least For Now. I love that this was the final song of the set. The guitar chords sounded amazing and made the song so much fun to rock along to. On the album version, the entire band jams at the end of the song. I am absolutely going to check out a show that has every member of Elephant Jake so I can witness the awesomeness of the full band.
Haunting Portraits played later on the bill, and they tore down the house. If you’ve been following the blog from the beginning, you may have read the review I did of their debut EP, “Smile”. “Smile” is one of my favorite EP’s I have listened to since starting this blog. Because of that, I was a little bit nervous of how Haunting Portraits performing live would compare to their studio sound. Within the first thirty seconds of their opening song, Buoy, I knew these guys were the real deal. Their live performance sounded identical to their studio sound, something that is so important for new/up and coming bands. It’s one thing for an album to sound good, but to be able to perform with the same quality is what makes a band stand out.
After Haunting Portraits performed Buoy, a new song that has yet to be released, they played Flamingo Dancing, my favorite song on “Smile”. The song started off slowly, with the introduction of the guitar that leads into the inclusion of the bass and drums. I loved the guitar chords on this song and the simple drumming that goes with it so perfectly. Flamingo Dancing allowed both Jaryd Rosenfeld (lead vocals/guitar) and Jack “Frantz” Rose (bass/vocals) to show off their explosive voices. Jaryd Rosenfeld’s voice echoed through the venue as he sang his heart out during the first verse. It was when the screaming vocals came in that I was really impressed. The way that Rosenfeld and Rose were able to scream in unison and make it sound so good was amazing to hear. “I’LL BURY MY HEAD” echoed through the crowd as every member of the band was head banging along to the hardcore sound. How the entire crowd wasn’t going crazy along with the band like my friend and I were amazes me. Haunting Portraits gave it their all throughout their entire set and killed it!
The next song was Swimming Skulls, a great song to segue into. Swimming Skulls has the subtle hardcore elements that were present during Flamingo Dancing but with much more upbeat, fast paced instrumentals. It reminds me a lot of some songs by Brand New. This was the song to get the crowd dancing and singing along to, and Haunting Portraits did exactly that. The guitar riffs were electric and had everyone moving along. This song will definitely be a crowd favorite at all of Haunting Portrait’s shows for years to come!
The band ended their set with Daffodils from the “Smile” EP, and a new song, Storm and Stress. Daffodils was a song that I highlighted in the review of the EP, as the raw emotion that is felt when listening to this song is powerful. “Lets drink a bottle of apathy, I’m starting to feel a little tipsy, bitch and moan all you please, but at least I can try to be, happy!” The way “happy” was screamed over the instrumentals allowed everyone in the crowd to feel the same emotions that I’m sure Rosenfeld feels when singing it! Haunting Portraits concluded their set with Storm and Stress, another new song yet to be released.
After their set, I was lucky enough to get to meet Haunting Portraits. I couldn’t believe how genuinely nice these guys were and how appreciative they were that we came to see them perform. I loved that every member of the band was willing to speak to me as well. A lot of times, I’ll end up talking to the front man of a band and not get the chance to meet the rest of them. Every member of Haunting Portraits were able to represent the band with ease and answer any questions. They all jumped in and told me anything they thought was important. It was great to see that each member was just as passionate about their work as the rest of the band. Huge shout out to Jaryd Rosenfeld, Pat Thoenneiseen, Jack “Frantz” Rose, and Jared Yerby. Keep killing it guys!
One thing that I have to mention and give credit to is the fact that both Sal from Elephant Jake and all the members of Haunting Portraits were right in front of the stage the entire time, supporting every act of the night. I always look at the way a band/act is throughout the show. I love to see bands supporting each other and getting right in the mix of the crowd. Haunting Portraits is currently in the process of writing their first full length album, and hope to record it this year! Make sure to check back to the blog for updates on Haunting Portraits and Elephant Jake!
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Haunting Portraits
April 14th – HOWL Tattoo & Piercing, Fort Myers, Florida
Elephant Jake
March 24- Binghamton, NY
April 6- Rock and Raise 2018 (Monmouth University)/ Edison, NJ
April 27- Hole Foods, Philadelphia, PA
April 28- Earth Dage, Binghamton
April 29- Asbury Park, NJ