by Donte Kirby
Young Magic, Bear in Heaven, and Weeknight all had distinct sounds that came together to make a mesmerizing night on Aug. 20th at Johnny Brenda’s.
Weeknight, a two piece, opened the evening to a sparse crowd. Nonetheless, the duo played like the room was packed. Their sound was emo with uptempo electronic beats. One half played the guitar while the other worked two keyboards and a beat machine.
Weeknight (all photos by Donte Kirby)
All of the Weeknight’s songs came from their latest release, Post Everything. The duo’s songs varied from dancable electronic when the emphasis was on the keyboards and drum machine to emo when it was on the guitar. Either side of the spectrum, Weeknight on a two step was always possible.
Young Magic was like watching a movie soundtrack. Projecters behind the three piece displayed images of grand architecture, southeastern mysticism, and nature making the show a treat for the eyes as much as the ears. Their sound was melodic and easy to get lost in. The crowd had filled up a bit and there were many heads nodding, a few dancing along.
Young Magic
Both the female and male singer of Young Magic had entrancing voices. The combination of guitar drums and the beat machine made every song something to dance to, preferably under the full moon around a camp fire.
Bear in Heaven was the act everyone had come to see. Weeknight had an unfortunately sparse crowd was, Young Magic started to fill the joint, and Bear in Heaven packed the floor. The crowd was eating out of Bear in Heaven’s palm as soon as the first chord was played.
Bear in Heaven
The Brooklyn three piece played to an excited crowd that was high energy from the beginning to the end. Screams and shouts were a regular occurance at the end of each song. Their sound was the more traditional rock sounding of the three that perfomed.
The show at Johnny Brenda’s Wednesday night brought together three distinct groups and sounds that made something greater than the sum of its parts. Each act brought something unique to the table that make them fun to see on their own, but an experience to see together.
