Barkhouse

It’s been a long long time since the outer-boros of New York City have produced an ensemble of talented song-crafters such as the band Barkhouse.

Led by the under-stated Will de Zengotita, this threesome is unpretentiously remarkable in their consistent delivery of heart-torn power ballads and Joe Jackson-tinged anthems.

Will’s voice harkens to David Byrne and beckons the early 80’s in the best way and exudes a soul-searching pain as he belts out lyrics like this line from “I Can’t Wait”; How come you never learned to drive/You wake up crying out “this can’t be my life”/You don’t know how my mother cries/She only wants to be a sister to you.

This song, a powerful ode to a diminishing relationship that is slowly going down in flames is one of the best I observed the band perform at a recent live show which was pretty well attended considering the competition these days for things to occupy the time of potential music fans. He further sings: “So what do you want to do tonight?/Let’s hang out with some people we don’t like.”

I ask you my friends… Who among us has not been there?

Another stand out song from Barkhouse is “Closer Weapon” which further demonstrates a strong propensity for clever word play to illustrate their underlying semi-urban form of romantic tragedy that can only come from three guys who have the 7 Train in their blood. “But I know that’s just no excuse/Up on the roof with my pigeon coop/She pulls her knife when the music starts to play/And she said/Dance with me darlin’/I’ve got a closer weapon”

Beyond what I consider extraordinary lyric writing, each member of Barkhouse is also a VERY impressive musician with de Zengotita showing off ample lead guitar prowess when needed, Olmo Tighe, who also pulls double duty as the drummer for Michael Imperioli’s La Dolce Vita, holding it down on backbeat duties and Jay Mort on bass, keyboard and harmonica.

Another remarkable thing about this band is that all of their songs are credited to the full band instead of the usual frontman-takes-all we tend to see from many win-at-any-cost music outfits as of late.
When it comes down to it, Barkhouse is doing everything right…. good, honest songwriting delivered by some great guys who are just so good at it, they couldn’t stop if they wanted to. You can’t help but to root for the home team.

Keep an eye on these lads!

Sylvana Joyce

Sylvana Joyce is an absolute force of nature. She needs to be seen to be believed… and even then you will not be sure if your eyes are fooling you. Sylvana so effortlessly incorporates the most insanely disparate genres of music in to her act… Hell… in to EACH song… that the passive observer will not even know what just happened. The active observer will just be too awe struck to realize that their mouth has been hanging open the whole time with strands of drool unconsciously hanging from their bottom lip.
Her music is an orgy… that’s right… AN ORGY… a sexed-up cacophony….of Gypsy, Klezmer, Metal, Punk, Classical, Spaceship soundtrack, bizarre, twisted, anthemic, gamma-radiation-infused quadrophonic inebriation.
Her band is so tight and so effortlessly familiar with every last idiosyncratic move that she makes that its as if they are all one singular being… and they just might be.
Sylvana commands the keyboard like Archduke Franz Ferdinand commanded his empire’s armies (before that fateful day in 1914). She is a general. She is an emperor. She has been sent from some other dimension to show us the way.
And as long as we are on the topic of sex appeal… Oh my Lord… this girl is a MUTHA F’N SEX BOMB…and she knows it. She prances across that stage like a belly dancer performing for a Sultan on his birthday. She will unfortunately remind every other girl in attendance of all they are not… and… well… that’s up to them and their therapist at that point… cause it’s not Sylvana’s fault.
If you are up for some transcendental Hapsburg meets Andy Warhol meets A Space Odyssey at an acid trip… than get yourself quick fast to the next Sylvana Joyce show. Tell her Jimmy sent ya !