#casey hess

[dance-world]

Casey Hess - photo by Luther Creek - Silverbeam Photo

[dance-world]

Casey Hess - photo by Luther Creek - Silverbeam Photo

https://www.caseyhess.com/ 

[dance-world]

Casey Hess - photo by Kelly Grider

[dance-world]

Casey Hess - photo by Luther Creek - Silverbeam Photo

https://www.caseyhess.com/

[dance-world]

Casey Hess - photo by Mikaela Kelly

[dance-world]

Casey Hess - photo by Michael Slobodian

[themusicenthusiast]

Saturday, July 27th, 2013 – Under the Undertow

[themusicenthusiast]

Wednesday, June 13th, 2012 – Casey Hess

I had heard that this stuff was more along the lines of love songs, and it definitely is, with the songs being much sweeter and lacking the hard, heavy edge that Descender has. In fact, during the first song, Jeff played an acoustic guitar, then switched things up further afterwards. As that song trailed off, Jeff unplugged the acoustic, left the stage and put it up, and then stayed off of the stage, where they had a floor tom set up. That extra little percussion added a lot to the song, partly because Duncan had things dialed back from usual, which was much more behooving of the music. “Favorite Color”, which was one of the best songs of their set, came next, with a very catchy chorus that begins with the line “…How long can we stay here?...”, then rapidly picks up the pace of the song. I may have known the band, and I think most of the people watching did, too, but Casey operated under the assumption that some people may not. “So, we’re in a band called Descender…” he stated, and quickly, and playfully, pointed out that Gaeb was not part of that band. I wondered where he was going with that, and then Duncan started in on the drums, and Casey softly picked away at his guitar. But possible the best part of the intro was what Gaeb now added to it via the keys, making it a downright beautiful intro. It was a Descender song, my all-time favorite of theirs and one that I haven’t played live in probably about two years, give or take a few months, “Against The Rocks”. I’ve always really liked the chorus of this song, “…We ride the rides that take us highest, it’s like the sky knows what is coming. And I’m here, you fall fast, I’ve got arms that will catch you…” It was a treat getting to hear that one again, and even if it is just with Casey’s solo stuff, at least it lives on live. They switched things up again as Gaeb abandoned the keys for a few songs, instead adding a third guitar into the mix. Casey set the next one up by saying that he wrote it with his friend Vaden. By Vaden, he of course meant Vaden Todd Lewis, vocalist of the legendary, Toadies, and then Duncan started into the song. I never Casey had written this one, and that made “Liberated” one of the last songs I would have expected to hear, but was a highlight of their set. It was originally a Burden Brothers song, and was easily one of the best from their “Mercy” album. I only saw that band once, and that was nearly five years ago, so my memory of the show isn’t the best, but as Casey sang the song this night, I honestly think he did a better job with it than Vaden did back then… And that is saying a helluva lot. As with most songs, it’s the lyrics in this one I like the best, from “…Now it’s clear, we have fallen off the map, and here we lay. Liberated, not faded away. In your own skin, you’re feeling okay…” to the second verse, “…Second rated, we’re jaded and afraid, but you can make it, now’s your chance to get away…”, and of course, “…Never forget, never regret a thing…”. All the way around it’s just a wonderful song. They did a couple more using the three guitars, and for the last one Jeff again got his acoustic, and after it, everyone left except for Casey. I didn’t know the song, but after he finished it he said, “That’s some Morrissey for you…” That ended his 50 minute set, but he left the door open for a second act. “So, we have this band called Descender.” he said before leaving. It was up in the air for a bit, whether they would do a little Descender set or not, but the final verdict was that, that was a good enough Casey Hess set that it didn’t need anything added to it, and I would agree. The show could easily stand on its own, and it was interesting getting to see a softer side of Casey’s music. It was just an exceptional set. You can listen to some of his songs HERE and stay tuned to his FACEBOOK PAGE for any show announcements. also, you can see Descender on Thursday, July 12th at the Doublewide in Dallas.