Show Review; 8/20/11 Adapted, Pilots In Orbit, The Nico Blues, Morning... @ Maxwells.
Okay so this is a bit late, but better late then never eh?
So August 20th of 2011 LE [thank you Reed Adler and Evan Campbell for coming up with this] and I went on an adventure! Well kinda. The two of us met up around 6:30pm or so and walked to the bus stop to make our way down to Hoboken to see four bands, who are near and dear to us, perform at Maxwells. It was almost like deja vu seeing how we were there the week prior as well. We got on the Lightrail, got off at 9th street and began trekking ourselves over to the venue. We got there a bit late but we still didn’t miss any of the bands.
Adapted opened up the night with some tunes from their upcoming EP, which should be out sometime soon [or at least that’s what we’re hoping for]. Mixing the old with the new, the quintet threw in fan favorite “Blackened Walls” into their set. Speaking of new, Adpated was also selling the single off of their upcoming release, and with the purchase of said single, you’d receive a dollar off of the EP. The relatively young alternative, post-rock with a classically modern twist band closed their set out with a chilling number titled “Winter,” that was chill producing. With their sultry, funky sound Adapted is certainly a contender in the vast music scene here in NJ. Check out Adapted on Reverbnation!
Keeping the funk going, Pilots In Orbit were the next band to grace the stage with their ambient, indie pop. The quartet from Union NJ, captivated the crowd with their energetic, yet mellow stage presence. Sal Montalvo’s vocals compared to the rest of the band’s energy provided a tranquilizing contrast, which brought the band’s sound full circle. The energy pouring off of bassist, Andy Rivera could be felt throughout the venue. During their set, Pilots In Orbit preformed a brand new track with a tentative title in place. These five guys have been recording and hopefully we’ll get some tunage by them soon. But if you’re impatient like I am, you can always download their demo over on bandcamp.
New music was in abundance that night! The Nico Blues wooed the audience with some little ditties off of their upcoming release, which has been leaving me in antici……….pation since the show. Stand out tracks in their set had were “Melodic Death Jam,” “Sinking Or Standing,” and “I Could Be Your Pet.” The alternative Tiny Giants closed out their set with “Unprofessional,” off of their debut album Blame The Boredom, Blame The Basements, which you can download for free off of the band’s website. The quartet have really made a splash in both NYC, NJ and the surrounding area. From being featured in The Deli, to having their video for “Living Proof” air on MTVu there’s no stopping The Nico Blues.
It was roughly after 11pm when Morning… took their place on the stage. The five piece busted out some new material off of their new album,Breakfast Forever, another highly anticipated release. And this time, I’ll save you the corny Rocky Horror reference, though it would be appropriate seeing how their drummer, George Serr, dressed in drag [and really does make a lovely lady]. Morning… kicked started their set on an instrumental note, leading into “Aquarium Living” off of the upcoming album. Other tunes that the band performed off of Breakfast Forever were “Many Must Have It,” “Battlefly VS. The Janitor,” “Nosebleed” “The Eastern Lean,” “Bad Ocean Poems,” “The Red Room” [which was featured on one of the band’s early demos], and a re-recorded version of “Anywhere,” which was released on the band’s debut EP, Dream It Out, Dream It Out. Mixing old with the new, Morning… also played “Business,” “Fight Off Your Demons,” “Move Your Head” and “Even Odd Smiles Are In This Season.” In their well over an hour set, the crowd was singing, dancing and just sending overall good vibes out, it was truly a wonderful experience that I wish could’ve lasted forever. But alas, like all good things their set had to come to an end. Morning… “planned’ two encores, but was taken a back when fans requested one final song. After a huddle, the five guys decided on “MIDItropolis,” also off of Breakfast Forever. Need a quick fix before Breakfast Forever comes out? Download their demo here!
Check out some photos from the show, which are ordered by performance. [All photos by The Dive’s own Roz Smith]
Check out the show’s flyer made by none other than The Dive’s Ellie!