The indelible Tayla Parx performed for the masses at Day 1 of Dr. Martens Presents at SXSW 2022. The singer/songwriter/actress shared her incredible voice while the crowd – which was wrapped around the building to get into the party – went wild from both inside the venue and outside the gates. Her stage presence was absolutely off the charts, as she garnered everyone’s attention despite other activities provided at the event. (Can you say “free tattoos”?) With two Grammy nominations under her belt for writing credits on Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next and Justin Bieber’s Justice, it seems like the songstress that is Tayla Parx isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
It’s happening, it’s actually happening. After a 15 month closure Rockwood Music Hall is finally reopening this weekend. It’s so exciting and such a relief to see the calendar filling up again. Kudos to Ken, Matt, and the team for pushing through this awful time and hopefully the room will pack out every night from here on out. Never take anything for granted! On Saturday June 5th at 8pm, Irish man Niall Connolly performs with his band.
Rockwood Music Hall reopening gives me a real sense of hope. It feels like a good metaphor for the resilience of New York City. One of the most respected venues has survived this pandemic. In a time when so many people have lost so much, I am very grateful to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I am very grateful to have my health and to have an opportunity to play on one of my favorite stages. I am also so excited to play alongside the band again. I am not certain I won’t drown in a puddle of happy tears as soon as I hear them sing. We released two remotely recorded new singles during the pandemic. We have had a few socially distanced walks, countless Tuesday night zoom chats and so on, but I have really missed sharing the stage with them. It’s going to be emotional.
All of the shows at Rockwood Music Hall will require proof of vaccine (dated 2 weeks from your second shot). This includes the excelsior pass or your vaccine card. Anyone without proof will be turned away, no exceptions. There will be no mask or social distancing rules, and the venue will run at full capacity.
We celebrated the end of St. Patrick’s Day with the SXSW Digital Love Showcase. Curated by Tavia MD, this show featured the talents of Dallas Pyron, Kissie Lee, Hylan Starr, Tokyo Jetz, Dash Flash, Akeem Ali, Renni Rucci, BigBankBandz, and Hype. The performances started at 8pm CST and dazzled us into the night. Check out some highlights below, captured by Erin P.S. Zimmerman!
Local Nomad took to our virtual stage for A Night w/ One in a Million Media: Imperfect Fifth’s Anniversary. With minor microphone problems and a lot of passion, the performance is what music is all about. With just a guitar in hand and a microphone, there was a feeling like you were at an intimate, acoustic concert. Watching an artist perform takes you out of the moment and transported to a different world, which is what happened here. If you weren’t a fan of Local Nomad yet, you definitely are now. Starting out with “Love is Gone”, off the EP LOCAL NOMAD, it is easy to tell that Mike Desmond loves what he does. Throughout the set, there is a fire behind his voice that ignites the lyrics and brings the songs to life. He plays three more songs, and talks about his decision not to play a Leonard Cohen song. With the help of his friend James, the set was a real success and gives you that feeling you might be missing from seeing live shows. If you have around 20 minutes and missed the original stream, check out Local Nomad’s performance below.
I count live music as one of the great pleasures in life. People from disparate backgrounds getting together in one venue, all brought together with a common love of the music. I went to live shows often and already had plans, in some cases purchased tickets, for shows through 2020. Whoops!
During the first weeks of quarantine and isolation, I kept myself busy with all the unfinished projects around my house, waiting to be called back to work. Six months later, I find myself without a job, returned tickets and cancelled plans. I am grateful for all that I have, including my health and the health of my family, and live music.
While the music industry has suffered greatly during this pandemic, art will never be stopped. We see this with street murals, short form videos, soaring interest in crafts and cooking, and all the performance art that is available on your computer, in most cases free of charge or for an artist tip.
Imperfect Fifth celebrated their 3rd anniversary September 7 – 13th and viewers got the gifts – six nights of performances along with seven days of Instagram takeovers that included performances! Here are a few highlights from Day #1!
Instagram takeovers on September 7 included Austin Archer and Griffin Holtby. Austin Archer is a Los Angeles based artist with plenty of great music under his belt (“Sweet Rejection”, “Dangerous Liaison”), as well as acting, writing, and directing credits. Griffin Holtby calls Texas home and gave us a tour of sites in and around Dallas where he would be creating his newest video. The Blues guitar will reel you into his music.
The headliner on FB Live on Day #1 was Eric Dash. The New Jersey native, now living in Los Angeles, played a spirited 40-minute set that covered older material as well as songs he is getting ready to release (“Jealousy” and “I Just Need to Get Away”). Although he hasn’t played a live show in awhile, he sounded fresh and very excited to play. Dash broke out with an acoustic version of the Foo Fighters’ “The Pretender” that was higher energy than you might imagine with just a guitar. The second song he covered was “Lithium” by Nirvana and he made it his own. My favorite of the night was “Stay Arms Reach,” a ballad with energy.
Make a plan to watch the replay of Eric Dash’s show below!
In the midst of all the excitement surrounding Imperfect Fifth’s third-year anniversary event, Evelyn Cools cooled things down with her cozy and beautiful live performance on September 8th. Live streaming is different from recorded music, but it’s also not quite the same as true live performance either. In many ways, it feels like a kind of hybrid between the two, with the excitement from the live aspect, but still feeling intimate in the same way that listening to a record can feel. Evelyn’s performance emphasized the latter well, performing songs from her EP Misfit Paradise with only a guitar and her spectacular voice. The shining star of this performance, Cools’ vocals, were so incredibly striking live, inducing chills at least once on every track she sang. Not only that, the melody lines themselves were so well suited for live performance; their sweetness and beauty radiant amongst the bare musical background. They adapted to the tone of each song Cools performed, sometimes dulcet, other times haunting, but always gorgeous.
Aside from the enchanting sonic aspect of this performance, the visual was also fun to watch. Cools was open and humble, and it felt like she was simply just trying to share her wonderful music with us all. She often made eye contact with the camera, giving it that personal feel that is so elusive when at a live concert; wishing, hoping, and praying that the headliner will notice your face in the sea of the crowd.
It’s safe to say that Evelyn delivered an exquisite performance that engaged her entire audience– if you need proof, know that even her dog was compelled to sing along (and made a brief and adorable appearance on camera)! If you’re disappointed that you missed it, don’t fret! You can find the performance on Imperfect Fifth’s facebook page.
