Old Wives @ Maxwell's
By Star ChildIt was a beautiful night for a show at the wonderful Maxwell's in Hoboken. Upon entering the room it seemed I was one of the only people there. A tad worried and wondering when people were going to show up, I grabbed some nachos before I headed back into the room at 8:40pm. Some more people showed up which was a relief but compared to the room it seemed like a small crowd. It didn't really matter because Apollo Run were giving it their all. The Brooklyn trio stood out. From the singer switching from guitar to piano and even trumpet, to the bass tapping, to the the last 'song' when the band came into the crowd and just clapped and foot stomped, the band knew how to entertain. Singer John McGrew has a nice sultry voice that went well with the music. Jeff Kerestes was great on bass. It's one thing that the music sounded great, but it was really nice watching Kerestes perform. You could tell he was into it. They ended by getting off stage and dancing and clapping with the crowd. It was all about having a good time. This show comes after the band played a successful theater show for Citizen Presents at the Players Theater in New York City with Black Taxi and Milo & the Fuzz. Pretty good follow-up show. The Ones & Nines and Old Wives would follow.
Apollo Run
Then it was The One & Nines from Jersey City. They had a soulful vibe that was impressive and lyrics touched on themes like love and sex. The deliver was smooth and sharp. There was also a three-piece horn section featuring trumpet, alto sax, and baritone sax. They truly brought a smile to my face and got me shakin'. Their MySpace describes them perfectly as “a rhythm & blues, gut-bucket soul, swingin' rock & roll band.” The amount of emotion that poured out of the lead singer, Miss Vera, and pretty much all the musicians made the show even more better. The trumpet player was smiling and dancing around, the bassist was groovin' in the back, and it was simply a good time. Members of Thomas Francis Takes His Chances were in attendance and Apollo Run were watching the band, too. It's always great to see other bands supporting one and another and watching their set.
One and Nines
At this point the room was nicely filled. Everyone was waiting for Old Wives, a 5-piece bluesy, jam rock band from Verona, New Jersey featuring members from Further Seems Forever, ActionReaction, and Element 101. The two songs on the band's MySpace page were enough to quench my thirst to hear more. Live the band truly comes together. Singer Jason Gleason has an energy that it hard to hard find in most frontman. Not only was the musicianship stellar, but the energy and the live show was great. Old Wives were exciting to see and got better with each song. Gleason noted that most of the songs are about travel when he introduced "Troubadour." The songs had soul in them and Gleason definitely knew how to make that shine in his performance. His can shift from a lovely vocal style to an intense belt. That loud vocal energy coupled with the music seemed to overtake him. Like you can truly see him experiencing the music and coming alive. It's something you have to see to really try to understand. It was moving to hear his sincerity and see his performance. At one point, I believe, he apologized for sounding like a "gushing idiot" for thanking everyone, including the bands for coming out and playing. The addition of keys by Bella adds a nice dynamic to the music, too. The set closed with "Rip Van Winkle."
What a show, really.
Old Wives
The Ones and Nines
Apollo Run
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