On Saturday, November 17th, I saw another amazing local show with some killer bands! Staleworth headlined at Velvet Lounge in East Setauket with the support of I Dreamt the Sea, With Sails Ahead, Haven State, and The Word and the Whisper. All of the bands threw it down and proved that the Long Island music scene is far from dead!
I was invited to this show by the guys who run Cobalt Company. Colbalt Company is a “booking agency based on Long Island, built by musicians for musicians.” They “set to portray live music in the way it has always meant to be seen and heard”. I love this mission statement they have because it was very evident at this show. Velvet Lounge is a small, intimate bar that has the appeal of a close, personal show. Despite the music being heavier than what you would imagine an intimate show to sound like, the entire atmosphere felt so personal. This was the perfect venue to choose. Imagine being at a party with your close friends, jamming along to music and having the time of your life. This is what it felt like at the show! Everyone was singing along to the songs and showing their support for the Long Island music scene!
Unfortunately, I arrived at the venue after The Word and the Whisper had already played. I’ve heard their music before and was pumped to see them in action, so I was pretty bummed I missed them. Regardless, I was told they put on a sick performance and had the place rocking! The first band that I did get to see was Haven State. They are a four piece modern Rock/Metal band from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. The band consists of Josie Banks (lead vocals), Lucas Martucci (drums), Brendan Mickoloff (bass) and Cody House (guitar). What stood out to me right away was the amazing voice of Josie Banks. The way her voice radiated through the venue was so refreshing to hear. She has amazing talent as a vocalist and deserves the recognition! Something that I have to note is the variety that Haven State presented while they were playing. There were some songs that had a heavy breakdown, some that had a sick funk vibe, and some songs with a few screaming vocals. Not many bands can pull off change in style like that and keep fans listening, so all the credit to them! Haven State is a band everyone should be listening to!
After Haven State, With Sails Ahead took the stage. They are a Progressive Rock/Post Hardcore band out of Brick Township, New Jersey. The band consists of Sierra Binondo, Josef Warner-Reyes, Santino Costa, Jaime Martinez, and Ryan Venancio. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure how I was going to like the music of this band. Their first song was a little off to me, and I was worried it would continue that way. I’m not sure if they just needed a few minutes to get used to the stage and venue, or if maybe I just wasn’t listening well enough, because the rest of their set blew me away! Their sound got better and better with each song they played. As the set continued, I fell in love with their sound. I love the mix of their Punk/Hardcore style. Some songs reminded me of a more Pop Punk sound, and some were absolute bangers that made me want to jump all over the place! With Sails Ahead did an incredible job with incorporating heavier instrumentals during key parts of their songs. I couldn’t get enough of those heavy guitar chords throughout the songs and fast paced drumming! With Sails Ahead won me over as a fan and I will be playing their music regularly! Check out their music and show support to this sick band!
I Dreamt the Sea played before the headliner and they were nonstop action from start to finish! They are a Melodic Hardcore/Post Hardcore band out of Long Island, New York! I Dream the Sea consists of Jackie Kalafut (guitar/vocals), Jon Oldham (drums), Kelly Arasa (vocals) and Holly Desautels (bass). I came to this show with very high expectations for this band. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about the shows they put on and how well they play together. I could not wait to witness it for myself! Fortunately, I Dreamt the Sea exceeded expectations and threw it down! If you’ve been following the blog long enough, you know by now that I’m a sucker for hardcore music. Something about those heavy instrumentals, screaming vocals and insane breakdowns gets me every time!
I Dreamt the Sea has become a favorite band of mine. The way they perform together proves just how much they deserve the spotlight and recognition! They are a type of band that Long Island needs. The way these four rocked out on stage shows how much they are a family, and not just people playing together for the sake of playing. It was easy to see the dedication and emotion that they put towards their music. I always look for bands that can get a crowd involved, and I Dreamt the Sea was no stranger to crowd participation. They noticed right away that people were standing a bit back from the stage and they immediately invited everyone to get closer. They made sure that the show was going to be as intimate and personal as possible and that everyone was going to be having a good time! Something unique about their performance was the way the crowd reacted to them. It wasn’t your typical hardcore show with moshing and chaos; it was one where the crowd hung on every word of the vocalist and rocked along with the band! I Dreamt the Sea is a band that everyone who supports the Long Island music scene MUST go see!
Staleworth was the headliner of the night. They came in and put on one hell of a show to wrap up an amazing night of talented bands. Staleworth is a five piece, Post Hardcore/Punk band out of Long Island, New York. It consists of Brett, Kevin, James, Ryan and Paul. I have been supporting this band since the early days of the blog, having written a piece about the band last April. Since then, I have been itching to see them live and haven’t gotten the chance to yet. I was hyped when Cobalt Company invited me to the show because I finally would get to see one of my favorite Long Island bands kick ass on stage!
Staleworth was nothing short of phenomenal. They took the stage some time around midnight, which is always tough. You never know if the crowd will still be as energetic as they were, or if they will stay that late. Staleworth knew exactly how to tackle this. The energy they brought to the stage never let up, as they rocked song after song! They began their set with Hang Loose, one of my favorite songs of theirs. Being only about a minute and a half in length, Hang Loose was the perfect way to introduce the crowd to the band. The heavy instrumentals and screaming vocals got everyone up and moving and made sure that everyone was ready to rock out to this band that deserved everyone’s attention! As Staleworth continued their set, they played songs from both of their EPs. Two songs that stood out to me were That’s Not My Wallet, off of their most recent EP, “Split” and Tiger Troubles off of their 2016 EP, “Covalence”. These are two of my favorite songs of Staleworth, so of course I was dying to hear them. Staleworth didn’t let me down and absolutely killed it with these two! I knew they were the real deal when I first heard “Covalence” last year, but this show solidified my opinion. Staleworth is a top Long Island band in my opinion and deserve all the recognition and exposure they can get!
Cobalt Company put together a banger of a show! Staleworth, I Dreamt the Sea, With Sails Ahead and Haven State all put on memorable performances and gained a fan in me, as I’m sure was the case with the good majority of the crowd that night! Be sure to be on the lookout for more Cobalt Company shows, and check out music from each of the bands on the blog’s Spotify playlist: After Hours Review!