HOBOKEN, NJ—Not even a week passed and I found myself back at Maxwell’s for yet another show featuring more local acts. Although the show was scheduled to start at 8 p.m., the first band didn’t start playing until almost 9. The lineup was a diverse one, with each band sounding distinctly different from the next.
The first band to perform was Adapted. This was the first time the four-piece had performed at Maxwell’s and they entertained the crowd with poise and energy. The quartet played songs off of their upcoming EP, which is set to be released sometime this month. The band was also selling the single off of the upcoming release for $1 dollar. By purchasing the disc you got $1 dollar off of the price of the EP. Adapted closed out their set with “Winter,” a dark ballad that sent chills down my spine.
Another band of Maxwell’s virgins was Pilots In Orbit, a quartet from the Union, NJ, area who has a sound that is ambient, spacey and popish. Their vocalist, Sal Montalvo, has a soothing voice that contrasts against bassist Andy Rivera’s energetic stage presence. Pilots In Orbit played some new tunes off of their album, which the band is currently working on. During their set, Richard of Strawberry Jam! and their friend Ivan joined the band to play trumpet.
The Nico Blues, an indie/alternative quintet who are no strangers to the stage at Maxwell’s, pumped out some new jams from their upcoming release as well. Some songs from their set were “Melodic Death Jam,” “Sinking Or Standing,” “I Could Be Your Pet,” “Missing The Carriage” and to close out their set the band performed “Unprofessional,” which is off of their debut EP, Blame The Boredom, Blame The Basements. The track features a loud and brash mini-breakdown of screams, which ended their set on a high note.
To close out the night was Morning…, who also played a bunch of new music with some old favorites thrown in. The quintet shocked the crowd when drummer George Serr dressed in drag for their performance. The band debuted songs off of their next release, Breakfast Forever, which should come out sometime in September. Alongside the new tunes, older tracks like “Business,” “Fight Off Your Demons” and “Even Odd Smiles Are In This Season” were thrown into the set. Morning… played for well over an hour, including two semi-planned encores and one that required a band huddle. After much deliberation, Morning… decided on “MIDItropolis,” a darker, funkier song.
Overall, I’d say the show was a success; each band popped some sort of cherry, whether it was performing at the venue or debuting new material.
