Written and Photographed by: Max Bennett
Philly Music Fest offered an eclectic array of local acts at numerous venues in and around the city. And at Johnny Brenda’s on Oct. 23, Philly Music Fest got turned up to the proverbial 11 with a ripping show featuring headliner Sheer Mag and The Out-Sect in support.
The show got going at about 8:17 p.m. with The Out-Sect coming in hot with their surf rock offerings. Both the lead guitar and lead vocals were trembling with tremolo, reminiscent of Link Wray’s 1958 classic “Rumble.” The five-piece band also includes an organ, which complements the 50s and 60s aural aesthetic of The Out-Sect.
By their third song, The Out-Sect was going hard in the pain, to use a basketball reference, as the Sixers kick off their season. Bassist Laura Nunzi was putting in work on her instrument. Despite her stature, she kept the beat thumping and thundering on what can often be an unwieldy instrument due to its long neck and sometimes backbreaking weight.
The band played what they said was a cover song, but neither myself nor my two friends recognized it. Still, adding a cover to a set is always a fun surprise for audience, at least to me. Ideally, a cover isn’t just a near note-for-note recreation, like the horrid Weezer cover of Toto’s “Africa.” Nor should it be a disastrous revision akin to Fall Out Boy’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire.”
Anyway…
Unfortunately, and maybe because it was a weeknight show, I could tell The Out-Sect’s set wasn’t going to be too long, and when they reached the latter half of their time, they really ramped up the energy.
They tore through the back half of the set list, which felt more punk than surf, but the throwback sound was still the underlying motif of their final songs.
I regret to say that while the performances were killer, the mix felt lacking. It’s frustrating to know stellar musicianship is happening right in front of you, but that certain instruments are lost in the noise. I would have loved to have that organ a bit louder for the set, but maybe that’s the way The Out-Sect likes their sound.
I also have to note the rather unique guitars wielded by frontwoman Lisa Russo and lead guitarist Gray Hess. Hess was playing a guitar from Vox, which is known more for its amplifiers than instruments. I couldn’t pin down what axe Russo was using. The classic Gibson and Fenders are iconic visually and sonically, but seeing lesser-known gear brands on stage always piques my interest. Not to mention, they sounded great for the surf rock vibes.
Sheer Mag hit the stage at about 9:22 p.m., but before they came on, a representative from Rock to the Future took the mic to tout the group’s efforts to help get kids into music, which got a warm reception from those in attendance. After all, we were all there because we love music.
Check out Rock to the Future online here.
I was only loosely aware of Sheer Mag before the show. I sadly missed them a few years ago when they opened for Coheed & Cambria in Harrisburg, and after seeing them at JB’s, I’m kicking myself.
Their energy was incredible.
The band came out of the gate very hot, and I was thinking about bands like Thin Lizzy and Boston hearing the incredible lead guitar work from Kyle Seely. Seely told me after the show he’s as inspired by The Allman Brothers Band as by Thin Lizzy, which isn’t surprising, but his lead work is more histrionic than the laid-back jams that Duane Allman and Dickey Betts laid down.
Vocalist Tina Halladay’s belted her way through the set in her high-register voice. The feat of keeping that range for an hour is Herculean at the least. I racked my brain to pull a reference for who she reminded me of vocally, then it hit me: New Edition, specifically the sung vocals on “Candy Girl.”
Bassist Hart Seely (Kyle Seely’s brother), rhythm guitarist Matt Palmer, and touring drummer Evan Campbell held the fort down with rumbling bass, cranked out chords, and pounding drums while Halladay and Kyle Seely shredded the set.
All together, the band forms something unique and special. And fans of Sheer Mag already know this; I’m just late to the game.
Like I said, Sheer Mag Live is like mid-to-late 70s guitar rock with the vocals of New Edition’s Ralph Tresvant.
And that makes sense why they were on a bill with Coheed & Cambria, who are known for the high vocals and intricate riffing.
Watching the Seely brothers take up the same microphone while they jammed on was very fun to see. The brothers jumping to the mic simultaneously to belt out “moonstruck” during the titular song “Moonstruck” from their album “Playing Favorites,” which was released this year on Jack White’s Third Man Records, made me smile every time they did it.
Campbell had a moment to show his chops on the skins with a nice drum break, reiterating that without him, Hart Seely, and Palmer, Sheer Mag’s goal of delivering blistering 70s rock and punk-inspired modern-day protest music would fall flat.
But they succeed fully.
The band took a short break before playing two final songs, closing with “Fan the Flames,” their most popular song on Spotify and likely all other platforms, which was released a whole decade ago. That goes to show Sheer Mag has built a dedicated fan base and has surely weathered many a storm. Few bands can claim those successes.
Sheer Mag
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The Out-Sect
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