Live Music is Back and the South Coast is showing up!
Sean MCCarthy from Sonic SouthCoast captures the current vibe that is brewing in and around the South Coast. In a recent article about the music scene in our area, Sean FitzGerald of The NB Rude Boys among others to talk about what is going on locally.
Rejuvenating for bands and fans alike, the return of live music to the South Coast was about diversity, ushering in the era of post-Covid performances and reminding us all that the area offers a wide range of artistry and expression.
From ska to acoustic, punk to classical, jazz to pop, the summer of 2021 got rolling in the parks, nightclubs and restaurants, promising a busy time for musicians and a smorgasbord of opportunity for audiences.
One of the most celebrated events of the season has been the opening of Cisco Brewery and Kitchen in the south end of New Bedford, the renovated location of Davy’s Locker on East Rodney French Blvd. The establishment is featuring live music by some of the area’s most respected acts in an atmosphere conducive to dining, drinking and dancing. The inaugural performances were by the South Coast Brass Band trading sets with Neal McCarthy on Thursday, July 2’nd, followed by a Fourth of July celebration with the ska sounds of the NB Rude Boys.
The remainder of the week would see McCarthy team with Felix Rentschler at the Custom House Square in downtown on Thursday, July 8th, The South Coast Brass Band celebrating the life of Gilda Pieregalla Downey at The Nightstage Performance Center at Kilburn Mill in New Bedford on Friday, July 9th, and the NB Rude Boys at the Airport Grille at New Bedford Airport on Saturday, July 10th.
“It was frolicky and jubilant,” says NB Rude Boys’ frontman Sean FitzGerald of the Fourrh of July party at Cisco. The 10-piece band that features a four-piece horn section, delved into a catalog of dance-inducive tunes that includes Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, the Specials, Sublime, the Police, the Clash, and Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The band is also delivering original songs from an upcoming EP being recorded with Ron Poitras at Feedback Studio in Freetown. The band can also be enjoyed at the Seaport Inn in Fairhaven on Saturday, July 17th.
The South Coast Brass Band continues to provide the region with a New Orleans-style vibe, playing jazz, funk, soul and blues. A festive seven-piece horn-driven act, they are without peers in this area. The band formed in 2017, and enjoyed a four-year residency at Gilda’s Stone Rooster in Marion.
“We’re fortunate to have some high-quality venues in the area, so you don’t have to travel to Boston to enjoy good music,” says the band’s trombonist Michael Rocha. “There’s a lot of great places to play in the area and Cisco is certainly one of them. We had a fun time. It’s a waterfront location with a chill vibe. There’s nothing like it in the city and we were happy to help open it up.”
The South Coast Brass Band will return to Cisco on July 31’st. McCarthy will be playing his inimitable brand of acoustic rock on July 14th, July 21st, July 25th and July 28th. All shows are from 5 to 8 p.m. For a sampling of the South Coast Brass Bandyou can find them at http://www.southcoastbrassband.com.
Saturday, June 26th was a great day for music in downtown New Bedford, featuring outdoor performances of jazz and classical and an evening of pop rock at the Vault. The following afternoon offered the rootsy tones of the Jethros as a part of the Music & Wine Concert Series at Running Brook Winery in Dartmouth.
As part of the Summer Saturdays concert series at Wings Court in downtown, Destination New Bedford Inc. helped produce an afternoon of jazz music, with the New Bedford High Jazz Band opening for the Dino Govoni Quartet. Govoni is a saxaphonist, a Dartmouth resident, and a professor of 25 years at the esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston. His band played a style of straight-ahead jazz, featuring numerous selections from the songbook of American jazz standards.
“It was one of the most feel-good performances we’ve ever had. There was a feeling of happiness all around. We were a little rusty but we played with a lot of heart and soul.”
Gaston Jeffro
“It’s great to have such a high-caliber group of musicians playing a free outdoor show on a Saturday afternoon,” says Neal Weiss, founder of the Whaling City Sound record label, devoted primarily to jazz artists. Govoni is expected to release his third album on Weiss’s label this fall, titled “Hidden In Plain Sight.”
“The atmosphere at Wings Court is nice,” Govoni says. “The audience was receptive.”
The NBH Band played American standards by artists such as John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, and Herbie Hancock. Weiss described their performance as “fantastic.” Govoni referred to it as “impressive.”
The seven-piece NBH band featured 16-year old sax player Jayden Santos, who just completed his sophomore year. He picked up the horn in fourth grade while attending the Hathaway Elementary School and his exposure to jazz began with his freshman year at the high school.
“I love jazz because it allows for self-expression, you can improvise during your solos,” Santos says. “When you’re getting into the performance and you’re swinging, you get into the pocket. It’s kind of a flow state, it’s like stream of consciousness. You can express yourself with no boundaries.”
The NBH Jazz Band will open for the South Coast Jazz Orchestra at Wings Court for the next installment in the “Summer Saturdays” concert series on July 24th from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Govoni will return to New Bedford for AHA! Night on Thursday, August 12th, sitting in with the Jim Robitaille Group at the Fiber Optics Center on Centre St. in downtown.
Also that Saturday afternoon, The Drawing Room on 36 North Water Street offered an outdoor performance by two members of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, Peter Zayand EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks.
Performing outdoors, the duo treated guests to a free two-hour performance as part of the monthly concert series, “Sonata Saturdays.” The location of the event is held next door to Tia Maria’s restaurant on North Water St., allowing guests to enjoy dinner or a beverage while the concert is taking place. AnthiFrangiatis, owner of The Drawing Room, describes it as “a little touch of Europe in New Bedford.”
Chairs are available outside on the street, but it is recommended that visitors bring their own chairs to guarantee that they will be provided seating. Wine tasting is also provided at the events, courtesy of Westport Rivers.
Zay performed on cello and guitar, while Holmes-Hicks played violin and fiddle. Their repertoire included Mozart and Schulhoff, along with a range of styles such as traditional fiddle tunes and folk music, with arrangements crafted by the performers themselves.
“People can sit along the sidewalk and enjoy the music,” Zay says. “It’s a combination of a concert and a street performance, it’s pretty cool.”
“These concerts are a good opportunity for people who are yet to be introduced to classical music,” Frangiatis says.
The next “Sonata Saturdays” event will take place on July 24’th from 4 to 6 p.m., featuring violinists Raluca Dumitrache and Antoaneta Anguelova. Additional concerts are scheduled for August 28’th and September 25th.
One of the area’s more popular acts is the J Kelley Band, a quartet that has built a solid reputation for their brand of pop rock. They took to the stage of the Vault on Purchase St. downtown on June 26th.
The band’s hour-and-a-half set included their latest single, “Brutal Youth,” and a pair of tracks released during the pandemic shutdown, “Fight” and “Cold Tile.” The band is preparing to release a new single in September, “Strings and Bells,” and they will be returning to the recording studio in December to record an additional song. For the last month Kelley has been taking to the cyber world every Tuesday night with single-song acoustic performances of selections from his catalog of material. The songs are filmed in the basement of his Dartmouth home, a space nicknamed “The Kelley Cave.”
The J Kelley Band will next perform at Patriot Place in Foxboro, MA, on July, 24’th from 6 to 9 p.m.
Molly O’Leary’s 40-minute set at the Vault included material from her album, “Holding Space,” set to be released on August 29’th. She was joined for the performance by John Fernandes, the lead guitarist with the J Kelley Band. O’Leary was also part of a three-act show at Boneheads Live in Fall River on Friday, July 9’th, along with The Blood Moons and the ska punk trio, Sweet Babylon.
“What I really like about Boneheads Live is that it has great sound and people are there for the music,” O’Leary says. “They listen and they really pay attention to what you’re playing.”
The Jethros made their first post-Covid appearance with a three-set performance at Running Brook Winery on 335 Old Fall River Road in Dartmouth. Playing almost exclusively original material, the quintet’s brand of “danceable Americana eclectic” was enjoyed by an audience upwards of 100 people.
“It was one of the most feel-good performances we’ve ever had,” says bassist Gaston Jethro. “There was a feeling of happiness all around. We were a little rusty but we played with a lot of heart and soul. The location is lovely. It’s outdoors and spacious with picnic tables and you can bring your own blanket and food or snacks. You can’t bring alcohol but there’s wine for sale at the events.”
“This gig filled a hole in my soul,” said guitarist/vocalist Homer Jethro.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-3G190TJzw
On Saturday, July 10th, Chris Evil resumed his concert series at the Pour Farm Tavern on Purchase St. in downtown New Bedford with a bill that included three solo acoustic performers – Evil, David Conlon, and Mike Heffernan. Evil’s set included songs from his bands The Taints and Blood Moons in addition to a handful of covers including Lou Reed and Cheap Trick. Evil has another show booked for Saturday, August 14th at the Pour Farm, including himself, the band Discordance, and Nick Sundman.