Last Friday I had a chance to attend Bad Mary’s show for their most recent record release “The Return Of Space Girl”. This show featured a lot of acts in which I heard a lot of great things about, so I was definitely excited to see and experience them myself. I can say with confidence that all of these bands lived up to their Long Island music reputations, if not exceed them, and I cannot wait to go to their future shows. Read on to hear what I thought of each artist!
Jones Crusher kicked off the night with some fast-paced, punk-style music. Their music and energy had to have been one of the best opening acts to get a crowd going that I have ever seen: from infectious riffs to even the lead vocalist running and jumping onto the bar to finish off their set! They definitely set the tone for the night and brought the energy to Mr Beerys right from the start.
The Word and the Whisper followed after, a five-piece alt-rock band from Long Island. I had met them earlier in the week and was delighted to see that their personalities and confidence truly matched their performance and music. What I really enjoyed is that every member of the band was truly invested and partaking in the performance; you could tell how tight-knit this band is from their confident vocal lines to heart-punching riffs and lyrics. Vocalist Scott’s passion is clearly felt when he belts out his parts, and is matched perfectly when guitarists Mike and Peter share vocal lines with him. I have a soft spot for alternative-rock bands – it was a genre that I grew up with and heavily influenced my personality and appreciation for the music in Long Island – and The Word and the Whisper hit a chord with me (pun intended) on that front. Their music encompasses nostalgia and letting out your emotions with music for me, topping it all off with a performance that brought that same kind of energy throughout the venue makes me excited to see them live next!
Bad Mary followed shortly after. My only exposure to this band was checking out their music video for their song “Addicted”, and heard nothing but great things from other local artists so I was excited to see what this band was all about. This was their album release show and you could tell how hyped up everyone else was. What I really enjoyed about the experience of watching them play is that they spent time in between songs going over the concept and story behind “The Return Of Space Girl”. They introduced the characters , what they go through, and then following said story with fast-paced, gritty punk music. I absolutely love when bands go through and stick with a story and concept for an album, and Bad Mary took it a step further by fully embodying the nature and persona of Space Girl – from the visuals projected along the walls to lead vocalist Amanda twitching and moving mechanically across the stage – but that absolutely did not take away from their performance. Their music and energy punches you in the face again and again and brings you in for more. I absolutely can’t wait to see them live next, and you’re damn sure I’ll be streaming that new album!
Introduced at the show as the “tallest ska band on Long Island” (which is hard for me to judge honestly, give I’m only 5’4”), Crisis Crayons finished off the night with some jovial and rocking ska. I always love to listen to a good ska band and to have them dress up as crayon colors really sealed the deal for me! It was impossible not to smile when these guys were playing – from the upbeat tunes to the members just having a great time – and I hope to see them again!
Though the acts on this bill varied widely from punk rock to alternative to ska, what I really enjoyed is how every act had the same level of energy from beginning to end. The night was packed from beginning to end and there was never a dull moment with these bands!
*All photos taken by Photolitsina *