Written by Samantha Evans
The Dear Hunter Live at The Gramercy Theater in New York City with Brian Marquis
It was a night of firsts. It was the first time I have ever been to the Gramercy Theatre in New York. It was the first time I have seen The Dear Hunter live. It was one of the first times that The Dear Hunter performed the song “Waves” off their upcoming album, Act IV: The Meaning of and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading. May 7, 2015: it was a perfect spring night at the Gramercy Theatre day 1 of the New York City dates. The Dear Hunter was performing Act II of their currently three-part series of The Meaning of and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading. For a smaller, more intimate venue the sound was the best I have experienced in a while, the crowd was small but energetic and the music was all over the place but in a good way.
The first opening act was Boston native Brian Marquis. Being the former guitarist of post-hardcore band, Therefore I am, Marquis took it down a few pegs and now signed on to Equal Vision Records as a solo artist. Marquis definitely chose wisely because his acoustic act and raspy yet smooth voice resonated throughout the theatre. With catchy melodies and poetic lyrics, the crowd moved with the words. Brian Marquis was the perfect opening acoustic act for the night, he set the mood, he got the crowd going for the complete madness that was to ensue next.
“It all started after a few too many drinks and an exchange of words that should have never happened. But thank god it did.” Taken from their Facebook page, this about sums up the next act Northern Faces. Hailing from New York, these guys were truly made to be entertainers. From the perfect harmonies, to their goofy persona on stage, to the bassist/tambourine player jamming and having a great time, this group of guys have what it takes to make it in the music world. From just releasing their first full length a couple of weeks ago, no one would have ever guessed this was the case. The music was tight on stage and you could tell they were having a blast doing what they loved. From their first note to their last song they had the crowd moving and singing along.
“You’ll never find that kind of fan love bigger than that right there” a fan yelled out after a grand group effort of “Church and the Dime.” Everyone came for this band. Everyone knew the lyrics to all of the songs. The Dearhunter owned the stage that night. With their tantalizing lyrics and their many different instruments resounding through the venue, these guys have IT. The crowd was singing backup vocals for some songs just like the record was produced, the beat built up to a dancing frenzy in some others. The show was all over the place but definitely in a good way.
The night was one of the greats. Such a perfect group of musicians all coming together for one night. It was a night of firsts but most definitely not a night of lasts. These groups of musicians have many long years ahead of them.
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