A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend and check out a couple of artists – some I’ve seen before and some not – as all acoustic acts at a cool and, in my opinion, upcoming hotspot as a Long Island venues, the Clamshell Funhouse in Patchogue. For those who haven’t had the opportunity to go to this place yet, it’s a fantastic property with a gnarly interior that was perfect for a set like this. The event was small and intimate, and I feel like that was the best way to experience these artists and is definitely a night I’ll never forget. Read on to hear about the amazing artists that made up this lineup!
Starting off the night was Julianna Ryan, whose bubbly and pleasant personality I did not expect to completely dig into the depths of my heart and emotions at The Funhouse. You can tell she puts her entire soul into her performance the millisecond she tunes her guitar and plays the first note; the way that she throws herself after each chord and projects her emotions with her vocals is absolutely incredible to experience. I began to really resonate with her when she performed her song “Shoes”, which is about going out with your friends and an unsolicited man begins to flirt with you. I know I’m not the only one that feels like this – the feeling of not knowing how to escape an awkward encounter with a weird guy when you’re out – and as soon as Ryan sighed and sang “I shouldn’t have worn these shoes” you can tell that every person who has lived that experience was brought to that exact moment when that has happened, which is only testament to how incredibly well Ryan can tap into the experiences and emotions of herself and others. The next song that I’ll never forget is when she played “November”, which you can hear on her most recent record “Sister”. Ryan played this song to remember event organizer Vinny “Von Toth”’s friend Scott Perino and his recent passing.To be honest, Ryan’s performance of “November” was the moment I knew I wanted to write a review of this show; her cries and belting of her heart-wrenching lyrics held the room in such a tight grip that the sheer beauty and emotion of the lyrics and performance and situation made me legitimately cry during it. From that moment on I knew that Julianna Ryan will be doing amazing things in her music career, and I cannot wait to see what she will do next!
Kenny Truhn followed suit, opting to take the crowd outside by the bonfire. I had recently discovered Truhn’s recent releases, “Mandarin: Side A” and “Mandarin: Side B”, and I honestly cannot believe I waited so long to listen to this amazing record! For a more in depth review of his album, you can check out Dan’s review of it here, but for me I was just excited to hear this guy live for the first time. It’s evident how personable Truhn is in his performance; perhaps it was the more intimate environment we were in, but being able to experience Truhn and how he interacts with close friends and in an intimate setting made the power and emotions in his performance more magnified. The way that Truhn pushes his lyrics and gives a certain energy to the crowd is absolutely phenomenal and 100% a must-experience sight in person.
John Paul Louis brought us back inside the Funhouse with a jovial broadway-esque performance. His style was fairly different from the other artists – the way his voice and hands bounced across his keyboard instantly brought a smile to mine and all the attendee’s faces. Seeing Louis make the intimate setting of the Funhouse seem like a big stage speaks volumes of the confidence and how much fun he has when performing. With a new single on the way this week, I can’t wait to see what else this guy has in store for the Long Island scene!
Scatterbrained was on after John Paul Louis. I have seen Scatterbrained multiple times already, and they always knock it out of the park no matter what venue or setting they’re at! What I have always admired and appreciated about Scatterbrained is that the connection that percussionist/vocalist Clutch and guitarist/vocalist share with themselves and their music is so clearly evident in the way they play and perform, it’s practically infectious. They blend genres and styles so effortlessly that it is no surprise that they’ve created such a positive and lasting ripple in the Long Island music scene. It was fantastic to see them complement the eclectic space of The Funhouse with their mix of full-of-soul, emotional, and invigorating music and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for the year to come!
Bunktown Falls closed out the night with their first ever acoustic set! As many of you probably know, I’m definitely a huge fan of the Bunktown boys, but it was interesting to see them play in such a small space to a very intimate crowd. They played their usuals as well as debuting some new singles that are set to be released to the masses very soon. I’m very happy I had the opportunity to listen to what they’re working on; they’ve really begun to branch out even more as a band, from integrating vocals from bassist Spencer to really utilizing lead vocalist Carl’s fiery upper vocal range. They even began to improvise and create completely new tunes at the end of the set(which I definitely recorded most of so I can bootleg and stream it on my phone)! It really shows that the members all really work tremendously well together, and are not afraid to push themselves and expand themselves into other genres and styles.
All of the artists that played that night, some I was familiar with and some not so much, did a fantastic job performing at such an intimate space. The artists really complemented each other musically and it felt fantastic being able to get to know each and every one of them in a setting that’s not your typical Long Island venue. I can’t wait to see what all of these artists do in the upcoming year and definitely can’t wait to visit The Clamshell Funhouse again!
All photos and media taken and created by Photolitsina