On Saturday, December 17th, Kendall Street Company closed their two-night run at Mercury Lounge in New York City. Based out of Charlottesville, VA, the band headlined Friday and Saturday night in the East Village with opening performances from Litz and One Time Weekend, respectively. Kendall Street Company brings a unique flare comprised of deep, genre-fluid compositions and unfiltered silly banter.
The company opened their second night with their reggae groove, “Marty Song.” After warming up the crowd with the sweet slow beats of the song, the band took the jam in a very dark direction, foretelling of the serious improvisation to come the rest of the night.
Next, the band punched into “Board Shorts.” Lead guitarist, Ben Laderberg shredded through ska and funk scales as Kendall Street continued to glide through different genres in their original composition. Following was a cover of Wet Leg’s “Chaise Longue” whose silly spoken-word lyrics fit perfectly in the song repertoire of Virginia’s most whimsical jam-band.
“Lunar Dude” had interstellar jams leading into an extended jam, and a buttery smooth transition into the chorus of “Walking on the Moon” by the Police and back into the resolution of the spacey jam. The next cover of the set was “I Got Stoned and I Missed It” by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. Rolling solos from saxophonist, Jake Vannaman carried the fun energy into a rendition of their blissful tune, “Cherry Tree.”
Kendall Street Company then performed one of their newest songs, “California #24” which can be found on their EP, Untitled California Project. This song was written and sung by guitarist Laderberg features spoken-word lyrics and funky guitar solos reminiscent of Frank Zappa.
After this heater, the crowd got to cool down while enjoying the slow acoustic melody of “Lady in Green” from the album The Stories We Write for Ourselves. The waves of energy at Mercury Lounge were brought up with the song “Telephone,” whose extended jam provided a seamless transition into “Say Hey” sung by bassist, Brian Roy before resolving the “Telephone” jam.
Apropos to the holiday spirit, Kendall Street Company played a quick rendition of “Trucking Trees for Christmas” by Red Simpson followed by a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Bertha” in the band’s signature jazz-grass style. The crowd was then treated to “Katz in ze Haus,” whose techno rave vibes are hilarious paired with a silly and ambiguous European accent from Louis Smith, followed by their most streamed hit, “Cars” which came with a KSC-style medley at the end of “Just a Friend” by Biz Markie and Soulja Boi.
Encoring the show with “Wasted,” the room was filled with rattling klezmer scales from Vanaman, as drummer Ryan Wood solos on his toms and caps off the set, the band went into a quick chorus of their song, “Aged White Cheddar” at the request of a fan up front.
Kendall Street Company’s unique art has gained serious traction in the Jam band scene with future performances opening for bands such as, The Infamous Stringdusters, Twiddle, and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.
Kendall Street Company – Mercury Lounge, Manhattan – Saturday, December 17, 2022
Setlist: Marty Song, Board Shorts, Chaise Longue [1], Lunar Dude, I Got Stoned and I Missed It [2], Cherry Tree., California #24, Lady in Green, Telephone > Say Hey!, Truckin Trees for Christmas [3], Bertha [4], Catz in Zeh Haus, Cars > Just a Friend > Crank Dat [5] [6]
Encore: Wasted [7]
[1] – Wet Leg
[2] – Little Feat
[3] – Red Simpson
[4] – Grateful Dead
[5] – Biz Markie
[6] – Soulja Boy
[7] – Tease of Aged White Cheddar at end
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