This Saturday night, we hosted a night of music at Pianos in Manhattan which included sets from Canadian quartet Ruby Coast and New Yorkers Luke Rathborne and Strange Shapes.

Strange Shapes started off the night with a set comprised of both released and unreleased material.  Their set was extremely tight, easily matching the precision of their 2010 LP, Star Chart.  Though each member brought something unique to the table, it’s drummer Booker Stardrum that seemed to carry the energy of the their stage presence on his shoulders.  His lively, well-balanced approach to drums is always a pleasure to watch, especially as it’s made so clear by his expressions just how much he enjoys being up there.

Ruby Coast hit the stage around 10.  I had never seen these dudes live before, and though they had some troubles in the beginning of their set, it turned out to be the most memorable of the evening.  Justice McLellan and company were utterly amazing with their rough-around-the-edges style and tight combo of guitar/key/vox-driven tunes.  Highlights of their set included their rendition of “Whatever This Is” and “Stability”, both perfect down to the note.  Though New York City venues aren’t known for their abundance of dancing, the second half of their set had the room energetically bouncing in place.  Not bad for a bunch of Canadians!

Luke Rathborne rounded out the night with an unexpected set of lo-fi rock and roll, a much different vibe that you get on his released material.  Though I was surprised by this, I couldn’t help but enjoy what he was going for.  Named one of L Magazine’s 8 NYC bands to watch just last month, Rathborne was able to piggy-back on this feat by delivering an enthusiastic late-night performance worthy of nothing but praise.

Thanks to all that came out.  It means a lot to see people at our events!

Strange Shapes

Ruby Coast

Luke Rathborne