COUCOU PHOTOGRAPHY
Danny Blu of Echo Black, at the Asbury Park Music Foundati9on.
The Asbury Park Music Foundation was the scene of a recent performance featuring Echo Black and City of the Weak. This unique and intimate venue provided the perfect setting for this show and the bands did not disappoint.
City of the Weak, a hard drivin’ band out of Minneapolis fronted by the dynamic “Stef w/ an F” got things rolling with an intense set of some of the best straightforward rock ‘n’ roll that this reviewer has ever seen. She set the tone with a grab-your-face-and-listen-to-me style that worked the room into a frenzy.
A tireless touring machine, City of the Weak pumps out high energy, raw, loud and edgy rock ‘n’ roll well worth the price of admission and should become even a bigger force to reckon with in the very near future.
Next up was Echo Black, fronted by enigmatic vocalist Danny Blu. His New York City area foursome, on the surface, seem to be a cross between early glam and full blown Gothic rock, with videos that have a techno twist. Their live show, however, takes a totally different direction and sucks you into their realm with ease.
Their 10-song set rocked hard from start to finish, energize the crowd and actually drew blood from Blu. With great band and crowd interaction and a setlist that flowed perfectly, they navigated the room with ease.
A very tight knit unit, Echo Black uses all the tools of their trade to keep one interested. Electronic drums, synthesized bass guitar, a nice change of pace featuring drummer Billy Long on acoustic guitar and, yes, a bloody lip were all part of the package on this near perfect evening along the Jersey Shore. Blu somehow managed to take a microphone to the mouth during the title cut of their most recent release, Dawn, no doubt in part due to the constant motion among each other on stage. This little mishap, however, had zero effect on his performance.
The Asbury Park Music Foundation is a small room that carries an underground vibe, the sort which may have been prominent during the late 1960s and early 1970s Greenwich Village scene. So it was the perfect choice for this show.
City of the Weak and Echo Black have toured extensively together at times and are a great fit for one another. Whether together or apart, each is worth the effort.
For more about these bands, visit facebook.com/echoblackmusic or cityoftheweakofficial.com.
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