A Great Set by Yarn at Funk N’ Waffles Downtown

Yarn Funk N' Waffles
Mandolin of Andrew Hendryx from Yarn

Melodic twangs were drifting out of the walls of Funk N’ Waffles and down the crisp streets of downtown Syracuse on Friday night. A band of local Syracuse musicians who go by Boots n’ Shorts were in the midst of their set. This bluegrass band was a great welcome off of the street into the warm bar. It’s nice, for a change of pace in Syracuse, to hear live bluegrass. The five piece Boots n’ Shorts were fired up, playing fast and well their entire time on stage. It was a good opener for Yarn at Funk N’ Waffles.

The main act of the night at Funk N’ Waffles was the band Yarn; a bluegrass/americana band from New York. These guys started the night with some bright songs that were totally easy to get along with. With a little bit of direction lead singer Blake Christiana turned the place into a whimsical sing along. The crowd mirrored his words, belting, “I’m a king, I’m a god.” It was easy to spot out the old adorning fans and soon the heartfelt sprit was easily caught be new ones. The sing along was a spin on the everyday way of appreciating the American dreams of conquest and freedom in a funny, boyish way.

The roots of American county lie in the heart of a good story. Happiness and joy are the greatest feelings we can wish for, but all paths are sometimes rocky. It is not without contrast of those moody days that makes us appreciate the people we have to lean on. Blake Christiana definitely enjoyed telling a tale. About half way through the set, they took a chance on a slow song. It after all was the beginning of the weekend and the bar was full of people whose bellies are warm and full. It was a respectable time to evoke that kind of moment. It took a little while for the mandolin player to get his game face on. Once he got into it, the set got rather impressive. There were multiple stand out moments when the mandolin and the double bass were together in beautiful harmony. It is always a treat to hear a performance with an upright. All in all it was beautiful show; the show became a performance and the course of the set displayed diversity in the feelings of the sound.

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