MAS YSA ALBUM RELEASE SHOW AT BABY'S ALL RIGHT

Arriving fashionably early at Baby’s All Right means two things – either you’re participating in their stellar happy hour offerings, or there’s a can’t miss lineup. Luckily I was treated to both Monday night in the form of $1 tacos, $3 drinks and MAS YSA headlining for his album release show. I’ve seen MAS YSA perform before, opening for Young Fathers earlier this year, but I was reminded just how talented he is as soon as he opened his mouth.

Before his set, the first opening act that went simply by the name WISH started off his calming performance by literally spraying us with essential oils, tossing long stemmed roses into the crowd and having a friend of his shave what looked like Himalayan salt into a small dish for us to place onto our tongues. As projections of geometric shapes and intricate patterns swirled behind him, he provided songs and melodies that reminded me a lot prayer, which put us all into a great mood for the rest of the show.

WISH

Taking the stage afterward was Michael Beharie, who was flanked by two outstanding drummers as well as a keyboard player. Their sound was vastly unique, with influences from ambient, electronic, and even some reggae thrown in for good measure. They were one of the huge surprises of the night judging by the crowd’s reaction to their music.

Michael Beharie

As the stage lights shifted from blue to deep red, songstress and cellist by the name of Kelsey Lu took the stage dressed in head to toe white. She started off by looping and layering various melodies from her cello, and then opened her mouth to sing. That’s when the entire crowd’s hearts stopped. I know I was not prepared for this woman’s earth shattering voice that tumbled out of her so effortlessly. She really reminded me of Fiona Apple at some points during her performance, but a bit more fragile, that worked to her advantage coupled with her cello abilities. Without a doubt, she is one to watch.

Kelsey Lu

As the lights dimmed one last time and a fortress of keyboards, and samplers were set up in the middle of the stage with a lone projector shining brightly behind him, MAS YSA, born Thomas Arsenault, proceeded to assault us with his self deprecating lyrics and off-kilter danceable tracks. The combination of his lyrics – that often times present to us as his wide-open diary of heartbreak and failure with these bass heavy, thudding in your chest rhythms somehow transformed what should have been quite melancholy into something absolutely cathartic. His energy is also infectious, having immediately abandoned his unlaced boots to the side of the stage at the very start of his set; he danced around barefoot onstage until he was dripping with sweat.

MAS YSA

Crowd favorites that were shouted out more than once were “Look Up,” “Margarita,” and the supremely popular “Shame” that Thomas joked that Young Fathers would capitalize on their song of the same name. Little did I know, Young Fathers were actually in the crowd, enjoying the show just as much as the rest of us. Eager to hear more, Thomas took to the stage one last time for his encore, and made up a song on the spot, with the melody from the timeless Counting Crows’ ballad, “Colorblind.” The song was mostly a lullaby, to send us off into the night, having either danced or sang out our pain and fears along with him onstage.