The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/25332
Concert Review Coming Events Yellow Deli to celebrate birthday Photo by Corey Cohen Bearquarium performs at the Black Oak Tavern on Friday, Feb. 11. Bearquarium gives an energized performance with a ’60s-vibe In the middle of a truly rollicking set last Friday night at The Black Oak Tavern, Bearquari- um vocalist Justin Panigutti took a moment in between songs to speak to the crowd. “Put your hands on your chests,” he said intently. “I’ve been having everyone put their hands over their hearts lately. Feel the heartbeat.” It didn’t take long for the heartbeat of Bearquarium to fill the Black Oak and the chests of those huddled tightly around its stage. The eight-piece funk/soul collective from Burlington, Vt., has a live sound that is not far removed from classic vinyl of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and the group continues to prove the energy that stems from those jangles and wails is far from dead. With a tone and presence that recalled the Allman Brothers Band in particular, Bear- quarium played a set that lasted almost three hours and did not for even a moment lack a trademark sense of grittiness. The performance, though it included some newly written material, drew heavily from the group’s self-titled debut (released in July 2009), of which “Slave Runner” was a highlight, both live and on the album. The members of Bearquarium have an innate ability to complement and respond to each other, whether it be during slower, bluesy grooves or up-tempo, feel-good jams. Percus- sionist Daiki Hirano provides punchy support to a solid yet relaxed rhythm section, and together they create an expansive, old-school sound over which the trumpet and trombone of Dave Purcell and Gordon Clark cut through with liquor-laced musical nostalgia. The group has a wide dynamic range that is clearly more natural than it is rehearsed, and Friday’s live set moved effortlessly between somber emotionality and dueling solos that shook the floor under the feet of a drunken, dancing crowd. Besides instrumental skill, the members of Bearquarium carry themselves in the slovenly, raucous way that demands the attention of anyone within earshot. By the end of the night, and after several trips to the bar, Panigutti took a place next to Hirano on the side of the stage, banging a set of congas in perfect time while dancing blissfully out of his mind. The sheer energy of Bearquarium, a feeling that was more than palpable, created an at- mosphere that more resembled a smoke-filled festival than a small-town bar gig. Everything was in motion. As Daniel Sternstein, a founder of liveLIVE! Productions (which books all of the perfor- mances at The Black Oak), stood looking out over a sweaty and entropic room of flailing limbs, he looked at the band, looked at the bar and smiled. “I love this,” he said. _ Sam Spokony Lawrence Cooley Feb. 17, 2011 O-Town Scene 21 Singers to take stage 6 on The Square in Oxford will host its local talent night at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, featuring two of the best singer/songwriters from open mic nights at the venue. British folk singer Jacqui Rayne stud- ied at Liverpool School of Music and toured England, Ireland and much of Europe. She now calls Greene her home. Contributed Joseph Green Hamilton’s Melissa Clark plays acoustic gui- tar and covers the classics: classic rock, jazz, blues and folk in a flat pick and finger-picking method. Tickets are $8 until Saturday and $10 at the door, located at 6 LaFayette Park. To try an open mic, head to 6OTS at 7:30 p.m. today to perform or listen. Yellow Deli, formerly known as Common Ground Cafe, on the corner of Main and Chestnut streets in Oneonta is celebrating its first anniversary with a performance by the Merrymakers of the Twelve Tribes from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday. The group will present traditional Irish, Appalachian and Israeli music today and every first Thursday of the month. Poetry slam set for Hartwick Coming off a night at SUNY Oneonta, Joseph Green will be the featured poet at the Hartwick Poetry Slam from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday at the Shineman Chapel House on Hartwick’s campus. In honor of Sexual Respon- sibility Week, slammers are asked to bring any poems they may have centering on sexuality and/or relationships. Green is the two-time Black Oak Tavern Grand Slam Champion, and he represent- ed Oneonta twice at the PSI National Poetry Slam. He is the author of the one-man show “She is,” where he collaborate with artists of many disciplines to create a show with six original songs, a dance number and original pieces of still art. One-man band to play hotel One-man New York City band Lawrence Cooley will play from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Andes Hotel, 110 Main St. in Andes. He’ll be playing tracks from Lynard Skynard, Dave Mat- thews, the Doors, the Beatles, David Gray, Led Zeppelin, Tomy Petty, Pearl Jam and the Gin Blossoms. There’s no cover charge for the show. Check out www.gig- masters.com for more Contributed on Cooley.