by Donte Kirby
Secret Someones, Jay Stolar and Ali Wadsworth all put on fantastic performances that showcased each of their unique sounds on the Milkboy stage at 11th and Chestnut.
First up was Ali Wadsworth, blowing away the Milkboy crowd with her amazing pipes. She performed songs off her self-titled album, all of which were written by her favorite songwriters. Some of the songs in the set were “I’m Not Over You,” “I Ran Away,” and “Say Goodbye” (written by The Lawsuits’ Brain Strouse).
Ali Wadsworth (photo credit, Donte Kirby)
“I’m 33 years old,” Wadsworth said. “I’ve been doing music for a long time. I’m not worried about making it. Charles Bradley got discovered at 60, I’ll be fine.” With a voice like her’s, truer words haven’t been spoken.
Next to grace the stage was New Jersey’s Jay Stolar. “Everybody’s in a different place, my job is to take us all to one place and it’s a higher place,” said Stolar at the beginning of his set. He’s a magnetic presence on stage, encouraging the crowd to sing along with every song. By the end of his set he has you wrapped around his finger.
Jay Stolar (photo credit, Donte Kirby)
The highlight of his set was when he hopped of the stage with his acoustic guitar and walked to the middle of the bar, singing “Holding You All Through The Night” with Secret Someones’ Hannah Winkler, Bess Rogers and Lelia Broussard harmonizing angelically on backup. A man of many talents, Stolar even beat boxed a little while covering a snippet of Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop”.
Last but not least to hit the stage was Secret Someones. Just recently formed this summer, every song they played was new to the audience. But, the audience jammed like old time fans. The set was high energy with their sound changing depending on which of the women in the band were taking lead vocals. Broussard best describes their sound as “Weezer and Radiohead mixed with Beatles type harmonies.” The set included their current single “I Won’t Follow,” out now on their website and their upcoming single “Surrender” due to be released this Tuesday.
In the upcoming year, Secret Someones intends to finish a full-length album and tour the west coast. Jay Stolar, by this time next week, will be in the Midwest for his show on the 17th and finishing up his album release tour for More Than We Think We in Los Angeles. Ali Wadsworth hopes to get on a big tour next year which she knows she’ll kill and release a new album with songs she penned.
