On Friday, March 28, I went and saw a show by a band called The Bergamot, out of Brooklyn. It was an incredibly different experience. The band is composed of singer-ukuleleist Jillian Speece and singer/guitarist/pianist Nathaniel Hoft. The band did a couple of covers and a few original songs.
What really surprised me, though, was both the band’s composition and how much audience participation there was in the show. Aside from the bog-standard guitar, The Bergamot made use of piano, harmonica and a ukulele.
It lent them a very different sound; powerful and projective while at the same time bouncy and fun. When Holt sat down at the keyboard, I was reminded of both Vienna Teng and Adele. All the while they were playing these songs, the members of The Bergamot would pull members of the audience up to clap along or sing along with them, even calling up one of the event organizers to help them sing a Pavement song.
My favorite song, though, was an original piece called “Say Something.” It talks about how everyone’s on their cellphones, texting away, and how people no longer have conversations. It continued to remind me of Adele, this time with a little sassy backbeat thrown in.
All in all, I really enjoyed the concert. Even though I wasn’t one of the people who was pulled onstage, I still enjoyed The Bergamot’s verve and energy. I recommend looking up their music or going to see a concert if you can.
You can find their music on YouTube and their website at /www.thebergamot.com.
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