April 9th, 2014
Glasslands continues to be one of my favorite little venues in the big city. It also continues to suck for photographs. The lighting is always low and hot, making it virtually impossible for a small timer like myself to capture great shots. Lighting frustration aside, on Wednesday I caught two local acts, Salt Cathedral & Nerve.
First up was Salt Cathedral. Led by the beautiful vocals of Juliana Ronderos, who sounded a lot like Bjork, they put together a strong set. The guitarist, Nicholas Losada, has a knack for mesmerizing runs tinged with a tropical feel. Tommy Hartman, the drummer, is damn good. He's quick with the sticks and fun to watch. Overall, a promising young rock band.
First up was Salt Cathedral. Led by the beautiful vocals of Juliana Ronderos, who sounded a lot like Bjork, they put together a strong set. The guitarist, Nicholas Losada, has a knack for mesmerizing runs tinged with a tropical feel. Tommy Hartman, the drummer, is damn good. He's quick with the sticks and fun to watch. Overall, a promising young rock band.
Next up were Nerve. Led by super drummer Jojo Mayer, this Brooklyn trio makes live electronic music anchored by Jojo's talent for pounding out headknocking beats. I dig some of their recorded stuff. Live, however, I was a bit disappointed. Jojo was a force of nature. The other two members didn't do enough for me. The ball was on the tee, but the textures and bass lines they laid down lacked punch. The songs just never really went anywhere. The highlights were consistently provided by Jojo. Once he locked in on a beat, the others painted uninspired and simplistic soundscapes that failed to take me anywhere interesting. Maybe it's just me. The crowd seemed to be enjoying it. Anyway, here's the one shot I got of them. Ugh.
Listen to some of Nerve's studio work HERE.
Some tasty stuff there.
