Blythe Gruda

This year in honor of Earth Day, Art For Progress put on the “Music Saves the Planet” show at The Bowery Electric. With the tag line “Creative Culture Accelerating Social Change”, the event was meant to “celebrate Earth Day and to raise awareness.” Ticket proceeds went towards the NYC non profit’s arts programs. Door prizes from the event ranged from a Gibson guitar to tickets to The American Museum of Natural History.

The evening began with Blythe Gruda. The singer was accompanied by guitarist Graham Norwood and violinist Claudia Chopek. Together the trio started the evening off with that can only be described as genuine, awe-inspiring talent. The opening slot isn’t an easy place to play. The audience is still filing in and/or hasn’t really arrived yet, but you’re still expected to put on a show as if it were a packed house. Gruda seemed utterly unphased and absolutely appreciative of the healthy showing that welcomed her warmly to the stage.

Idgy Dean (Lindsay Sanwald) took the stage second at 9:00. She carried her floor tom on stage with no rock star airs. In a pair of black over alls, she seemed more roadie than rock band. Where was the rest of the band?  She IS the band. In fact Dean performs as a one-woman psychedelic rock band. She employs tUnE-yArDs-esque loops and drum beats to create multilayered garage rock that without her trusty pedal board would take a good half-dozen band members to recreate. Throughout her set Dean swapped her drumsticks for her guitar, singing all the time and holding up the act all by herself.

The next act was Wyland. The New Jersey quartet brought the traditional band structure back to the stage. Singer Ryan Sloan, guitarist Mauricio Salazar, bassist Kara Delonas, drummer Matt Pana played a mix of indie and electronic (think plays like Coldplay, looks like Keane) tunes. It was clear- watching the band jam with such energy and cohesion- why they won the 2014 Break Contest. Ever since forming two or so year ago, the band has been making waves in the music community. They’ve supported bands like Awolnation and Cold War Kids as well as playing gigs as big as the Center of the Universe festival and Skate and Surf Festival 2014. About the band, CMJ wrote, “Wyland has an instantly digestible sound. The band blends suburban angst with city kid confidence.” They brought that confidence and “You’re in the World, Get Off Your Feet” to the stage.

The smooth and poetic Jeremy Bass closed the night. As a poet, Bass has been featured in the New England Review as well as Pleiades. As a musician, he has been bouncing between The Bowery and Rockwood Music Hall, prepping and then celebrating the release of his newest effort Winter Bare. The EP came out on April 14th, just in time for spring itself. His previous album/debut Tenant came out in only 2014. Magnet Magazine praised “Winter Bare”, the title track off his sophomore album, calling it a “laid-back single” that was “beautifully composed, features subtle female vocal harmonies and, in keeping with the love-song theme of the album, is quite emotional.” Bass was recently featured as Magnet’s “MP3 @ 3PM” and a download of “Winter Bare” was featured on the publication’s website.

-Zoe Marquedant