Dandelion Wine at Piano's
May 19, 2009 at 11:17 AM Live Review: Pianos
By: Vandal Truong
We live in a cynical world. Many people who chronicle music feel the current era is a wasteland. Dandelion Wine recently played The Cinco De Mayo Night at Pianos in New York's Lower East Side to prove that maybe not all music nowadays is bad.
They walked onstage and immediately sat down and got comfortable. Dandelion Wine are not rockers; they have no jazzy matching suits or hair gel. They don't even have a drummer. Consisting of Nathan MacCormack on cello/bass, Tom Hopke on lead guitar, and Danny Musengo on vocals and guitars, they are pretty far removed from anything with gimmicks or mass marketing. They opened their show with the poignant number "Drunk Driving," a song about the challenges of war veterans. In lesser hands this could have come off as cliché, but Dandelion Wine managed to paint a moving portrait of humanity. The band performed mostly ballads during their set, but make no mistake, this band can still rock it out. The power doesn't come from slashing guitars or a dance-friendly keyboard, but Musengo's trademark high-register refrain that is both howl and whisper. "A World Completely Of Our Own" combines funky grooves with gospel roots and a warm melody. "Representing Queens" was a slow burn lullaby of intimacy and heartbreak. Throughout the show they kept things light and festive, even poking fun at themselves. They take their music very seriously, just not themselves.
Once, music really mattered. There was a time when singers were also songwriters and they honed their skills with many lonely nights baring their souls for their lyrics. Dandelion Wine is a throwback to the great bands of the late 1970's, a time when musicians were true artists who made a fan base from playing live, not winning reality shows. The songs were straight from the heart and soul. On "Bonfire," Musengo sang, "When the past won't let you go/ And you're steady getting on you're on/ When you're ready you just let me know/ And I can carry you home." Indeed we live in a cynical world but sometimes, great music shows us there is more.
Reader Comments (2)
Great Article! Very well written. I am glad there is good music still out there. I have not purchased or downloaded a whole CD in about 4 years. Seems like an artist or group/ band cannot make a listenable playlist. Two or three good songs with several filler songs to make up a whole CD. I will definitely look into this group. Thanks for the tip!
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