The wind blew a brisk arctic breeze as fans of Conspirator stood outside waiting to see the band. Upon entering Putnam Den and looking over the sea of flat brimmed hats adorned with various pins, the stage was set for a memorable evening of livetronica played by some of the best in the business.
Albany heroes, Digital Dharma took the stage to open the night. The keys of Eliot Kershner got the crowd hopping and wailing from the start, a glorious way to get the night going with a positive vibe. The beats went on and Aaron Zarabi’s drums combined with Steve Mink’s bass tightly held the groove together as Kershner and guitarist Brian McQuade kept a stunning harmony. This went on for quite some time and allowed the crowd to get loose and have a great time. Then they started to sing. This was just weird and misplaced. Losing the crowd as they looked around in bewilderment, as the goofy sound took away from the sweet groove that was in place. However, this would quickly be overshadowed when the next song, “Better Off Alone”, came raging in with wailing guitar and sweet sampling. The guys were back on track, perfectly setting the night up for Conspirator.
Setlist: Aeronautics -> Shag Moonstruck -> Better Off Alone -> Mission Control
After a short break, it was time for Conspirator to take the stage and the crowd was more than ready. The energy was pulsating through the room and the band definitely fed off of this. Coming at the crowd hard right off the bat with a tune “Saw Sir” featuring Aron Magner’s outstanding keys. The mix of Marc Brownstein’s bass and the drums of Torch made the groove completely unstoppable. This led into the fan favorite “Feed the Wolf”, a song featuring a catchy chorus driven by the keyboard that led to high fives and screaming. You could tell the guys enjoyed this one as smiles appeared across all of their faces. Conspirator has been leaning towards more of a jammy-sound as of late and this was most apparent when guitarist extraordinaire Chris Michetti tore up the next few songs. As the main soloist, Magner’s keys were out of this world throughout the entire evening. Torch had many high points as well, keeping all the feet in the audience moving.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfiLg0EJW8s&w=560&h=315]
There’s the obvious comparison to the Disco Biscuits that the band constantly draws, but if this show was any indicator, they have successfully taken on an entity all their own.
Set 1: Saw Sir >Feed the Wolf>Brooklyn Bridge>Right Wrong>Special Kind
Set 2: Park Ave >Up>Retrograde>Pow Wow>Hellsing
Encore: Hammerdown
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzSjY02AS5k&w=560&h=315]
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