The Spotlight Tavern is an excellent venue with a great setup, outdoor enclosed patio, excellent staff and strong drinks. It also sports a cozy atmosphere and friendly crowd. On this evening, Brownchicken Browncow, Fiddlehead and Absylum take the stage in that order. This is a split bill I've seen at Dodge Street in Salem and the Chit-Chat Lounge in Haverhill as well, but in different order. Either way, its always a good night when these three bands come out to play.
BCBC is up first and the Bruins play during their entire set. Sports games can be a big factor in how a night goes at a music event. The band still sounds awesome, especially Eric Houde and his monster solos. His brother Brian is also an excellent bass player in his own right, its a wonder two such players came from the same family. Mike O'Toole also does an excellent job on drums, his timing is impeccable. Their song "Japanese Fighting Mule" stood out especially. Another thing I must say about BCBC is they are a very friendly and nice bunch of guys and very community oriented.
Fiddlehead plays a very tight set as always. It is however, a tighty-whitey set. Well not quite, but the fellas disrobe down to skivvy attire to show they are "comfortable" playing the middle set. Mike Strakus has some sort of Fred Flintstone looking shirt on. Kevin Maestranzi is just up there in his underwear and a smile. Pat Nelson has some shorts and crazy socks on. At one point I am invited up on stage to be "Mr. A" opposite "Mr. F" in a sort of skit. Tim Johnson played especially well, the sound of him on MJ Sands' drum kit is interesting. Great solos from Pat and Mike tonight as well. Kevin sounds great as always, singing and playing bass seems so tough to me. Overall the set is good and everyone has a wonderful time!
Absylum...where to begin. They have gotten leaps and bounds better since I heard them last and they were already damn good before! I think the most epic part of this evenings performance is hearing Justin Lopes sing. Sean McCormick also sings a bit and manages to hit the bass at the same time. MJ Sands sounds brilliant as always, perfect rhythm and a wicked cool hat. By the time they get rolling, quite a few pretty ladies are dancing in front of the stage. Justin is an absolute monster on the keys, he definitely tears the house down. I can't believe how good Absylum sounds for being together for such a short period of time to be honest. Expect more of them in the future as well.
Great night, great lights. Felipe Araya as always puts on a spectacular light show. I am really glad the Spotlight Tavern has sprung up as one of the premier venues in Beverly. So many venues have sold out to having nothing but DJs and Karaoke, its good to have an old fashioned live music bar. They have an open jam on Tuesdays that is a great time as well, starts at 9 PM I believe. I would definitely recommend you check this place out if you haven't already, its a great time. Also check out these great bands as they hit venues near you! Look them up on Facebook for more info.
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