8.11.2010 - Greg Laswell - WTTS Emerging Artist Concert Series
August 8, 2010
Creation Cafe
Indianapolis, IN
We were stoked when WTTS announced their free Emerging Artist Concert Series at the Creation Cafe in downtown Indy. You have to win the chance to attend (via the WTTS VIP Page). They are bringing up-and-coming artists like Greg Laswell, Dave Barnes, and Griffin House to the cafe to play a short set for a group of listeners - many of whom may never have heard their music before. I love that they are both giving these great artists a chance to gain more fans, and at the same time exposing listeners to great new music. The Creation Cafe is a great setting for this series - it is small and eclectic enough to have the feel of a funky coffee shop, but large enough to allow a full band to rock out without blowing any eardrums. Plus they serve all kinds of food, sweets, coffees, and even Upland Beer, who also sponsors the series. How can you go wrong with that?
We were excited to attend the first concert of the series - Greg Laswell. We had seen him at Radio Radio a couple of weeks prior and thoroughly enjoyed his music. You can read that review here: Greg Laswell @ Radio Radio. Also returning to Indy with Greg was Harper Blynn, the band that's been touring with him - both opening shows and acting as Laswell's band.
Though this show was plagued by power outages (some of which became very amusing, read on to see why), it was a great time in an intimate setting. Laswell kicked off the set with "Off I Go". Midway through, the power kicked off to Laswell's keyboard...sound guy goes and gets it turned back on...there's some amusing banter in between where Greg talks about that being too bad because he's really good at playing that part. The sound comes back on, and the band tries to decide where to pick up - luckily they are well versed in Laswell's humming to figure out where to get re-started! They play a couple of songs, and lose power again, but only to the lights...this time, Jason and Pete of Harper Blynn break into a rousing rendition of "Right Here Waiting For You" by Richard Marx on the electric guitar. You could tell these guys have a great sense of humor - they took all of the lighting and sound issues in stride and even turned them into a time for humor.
Other highlights from the set:
- Take Everything - The Laswell song played on 92.3 regularly - great tune
- What a Day
- Sweet Dream - The infamous 1 minute song
- How the Day Sounds - A favorite from his new stuff, very catchy
Turned out to be a really great show. The guys have a great rapport which allows them to have fun onstage, and take everything in stride. Laswell mentioned that they had driven all the way from Washington state to be there because WTTS has been so great to them. And rumor has it that they are coming back to Indianapolis in October - which Greg Laswell wasn't even aware of yet! Go see this band if you get the chance, and sign up to be a 92.3 VIP to try to win a spot at upcoming Emerging Artist Concerts!
| Previous Review | Next Review |
Follow Us!
