MUSIC: The Dear Hunter Is Right On Target At The Met
Saturday, September 07, 2013
It's another one of those times where I go see a band that I don't know much about but everyone talks about, the weirdest thing about this time that the band is actually based in Providence. The Dear Hunter lead by Casey Crescenzo headlined a near sold out night at The Met in Pawtucket this past Wednesday with a special string quartet joining them on stage. Brian Marquis opened up the show and it was sure to be an interesting experience. The Met is one of those places in Rhode Island where it's extremely difficult not to see a good show, and this one had all the makings to be a doozy.
Brian Marquis
Member of Boston post-hardcore act Therefore I Am, Brian Marquis started off the night with himself and an acoustic guitar for an intimate beginning to the show. A very rootsy voice wasn't what I was expect from a guy who was in a loud band from Boston, but neither was playing an acoustic guitar instead of one jacked into an amp. It's a transition that's hard to pull off and after watching so many punk rock musicians try to do it, some do great and others fail. Brian was fine though and I would like to check out his EP Snow Damage that is currently out.
The Dear Hunter
After a little while the string quartet took the stage for an eerie introduction to The Dear Hunter's performance, a soothing neo-classical vibe took over the room. The band then came out to a roaring applause and went right into "Bring You Down". Very emotional and emphatic symphonic rock, I did like The Dear Hunter's sound despite there being a lot of pop on the edges. "The Procession" reminded me a lot of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Explosions In The Sky while "The Thief" had this Beethoven-esque tone with Casey singing his heart out and playing the keys. "Mustard Gas" was the high point of intensity, the crowd near the stage was singing every word with their hands waving in the air like palm trees swaying in the breeze. "Home" continued the crowd's singing of every word, but with so much unison that it sounded like a choir.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTCasey quited the crowd down so you could only hear a pin drop and The Dear Hunter started playing "Mr. Malum" and I loved the bluesy tones. Afterwards Casey told a story about his dad meeting KISS' Gene Simmons and the band went into another powerful number in "Dear Ms. Leading". In a rare moment, Casey then took off his guitar and did his best to be a solo frontman while the rest of The Dear Hunter played the incredibly rhythmic "Cycles". Finishing off a spectacular display of musical excellence with the crowd rejoicing, The Dear Hunter and the string quartet left the stage but they weren't done yet. Within seconds, Casey went back on stage with the string quartet and proceeded to play "The Love" on his keyboard with the quartet in the background resonating pure beauty. After seeing The Dear Hunter for the first time I admire their forcefulness and amazing song structure, I think they just found a new fan. Just over the border from Providence in a place the locals call "Da Bucket", head on over to The Met's website at themetri.com and get all the info on what's happening next.
