01 Oct 12

Hey, blogspot readers, fall has certainly arrived. And with that brings touring bands rockin' the local scene around town. Tonight was no exception at Elbo Room where Fairhaven (from Providence, RI) made a special detour as part of their Plan A tour to entertain the Monday night regulars (while competing against Bears football) featuring performances of semi-acoustic and piano pop/alternative rock music within an  hour-long set. SouthSide in her research about this trio has been receiving buzz from music critics in which they are being compared to as"...one of the top up an coming bands" to  "Coldplay meets Kings of Leon" for their "...polished songwriting and catchy vocals..." They have shared the stage with other national acts like Neon Trees, OK Go, The Doobie Brothers and many others as well as can be heard on the airwaves on New England radio stations. Recently, they released their second album - Plan A, a follow up to their debut titled Origins.

And judging from the audience (in between spectacular Bear plays on the big screen) and their warm reception to Fairhaven's live semi-acoustic performance, SouthSide highly recommends checking out this band at their next show (visit http://www.fairhavenband.com for tour dates and details). To say, this reviewer was floored by everything she had read (as well as heard off their http://www.reverbnation.com/fairhavenband page) would be a general understatement, blogspot readers. Words cannot begin to describe how the combination of harmonizing vocals (by Alan on guitar, Trevor on piano and Brian on drums) and powerful yet dynamic piano-driven rhythms fused together into one moving music floetry made this reviewer feel and reacted to such heartfelt lyrics and sound. It was simply amazing as well as refreshing to hear clear and crisp songwriting that was truly spoken from the heart and soul of its creator. You could literally feel the energy rising and then crescending into one fierce momentum of energy during Fairhaven's semi-acoustic version of Firefly. SouthSide liked how the trio of vocal harmonies brought to life the powerful meaning behind the words thus nicely matching the intensity and power of the music composed around them.

Or check out the band's song Hollow, blogspot readers, it was - in one word - breathtaking. Both music and lyrics seem to pop continuously throughout amidst the melodic rhythms and tone. Even with the piano being not the central focus of Fairhaven's sound, this trio still managed to make their acoustic sound pop vibrantly to match the vocals and music intensity under one accord especially during one particular song labeled as "a work in progress" but to SouthSide's ear's it had the sense of being the band's next hit. They knew how and when to bring the energy to the ears for dramatic emphasis as well as when to bring the intensity down to a calm to numb the heartfelt senses and/or bring you to tears. If this reviewer didn't know any better, there's a certain kind of magic within Fairhaven's music to which some (like local guys Makeshift Prodigy, The Loneliest Monk and a couple of others) can tap into and move the depths of your soul ...to actually feel or be inspired from what you've heard ...very heartfelt yet emotionally expressive.

That's what SouthSide left with after seeing Fairhaven's performance, blogspot readers. If you don't believe her, listen to the band's cover version of Beatles' Oh! Darling or Elton John's Rocket Man and not be moved by the strong vocals being poured into the microphone. They just might make you cry a little...

Until next time, support your local scene,

SouthSide