I rolled up in my car at 9:00 sharp. I pulled into an parking empty space near the front entrance of The Station, thanked the Parking Goddess for my good fortune, and headed up the stairs. I ordered a poor man’s Boilermaker (PBR and Bulleit) at the bar and sat down next to a man who looked (and dressed) exactly like Forrest Gump. The weather had finally gotten up to 60 degrees, and people were taking advantage. The Station seemed to be the go-to meetup spot for fair weather, as the college kids and regulars alike were passing through in shorts and mini-skirts.
Karol Peril, the five-piece opening band from Chapel Hill, kicked off the night with twangy rock-n-roll. Cutting to the chase, their set was remarkably seamless and well-rehearsed. No time was wasted with the anecdotes and stage banter that I’ve gotten so accustomed to, and I found it pretty refreshing.
The second set came from Azulz, one-half of the local electro-pop duo Fluorescence and solo project of Azul Zapata. Azul began the set by playing a few songs on piano without accompaniment, then was joined on stage by the rest of her band. Argentinian-born and raised in North Carolina, she sang one song in Spanish, which I (a non-Spanish speaker) couldn’t understand, but enjoyed it nonetheless. I generally appreciate reminders that live music exists in languages other than English, and I wish I could hear it more often. Chill-pop with a hint of jazz.
She explained the song “Sleeps” was written about dreaming of someone so vividly that you wake up feeling the other person must’ve been dreaming of you too. I’ve had my fair share of this feeling, so I’m glad someone finally wrote a song about it.
The final act on the lineup was Charlotte-based Leanna Eden & The Garden Of (cleverly abbreviated as LETGO). I was familiar with Leanna Eden’s solo set, but I hadn’t had a chance to see the full band live until now. I was pleasantly surprised, not just by the loudness of it all, but by the palpable camaraderie of the band! I could tell this is a group of musicians who genuinely care about each other. They listened to each other and everything meshed together naturally. It was perfectly punchy without being out of control. At the end of the night, LETGO’s Alt-Rock delivered just the pick-me-up I needed.
It was such a wide variety of genres on the lineup, and all from within North Carolina. There’s something out there for everyone. Give it a shot, I’m sure you’ll find it’s worth the few bucks.
durhambeat 