Sunday night can sometimes be a weird night to play shows. However, Brooklyn based shoegaze/psych-rock band Lazyeyes rocked Baby’s All Right celebrating the release of their latest E.P. New Year this past Sunday. Not only was the music great but as a writer for Pancakes and Whiskey, where alcohol is in the name, I feel obligated to report on the fact that there was an open bar sponsored by Sailor Moon Rum where free Rum and Cokes were handed out. Good music and free alcohol, what more could you want?
Lazyeyes is a Brooklyn based three piece indie rock band formed in 2012 by Jason Abrishami (guitar and vocals), Paul Volpe (bass), and Jeremy Samson (drums). On Sunday they played with a live second guitarist Ryan Camenzuli who fills out their sound nicely.
The first thing I thought of hearing the band’s name and their music was the Silversun Pickup’s song called “Lazy Eye.” Even though the band told me there’s no connection between the song and the band name, it’s a good starting part for comparisons. While the Silversun Pickups and Lazyeyes both draw and pay homage to the sound of the 90s, the Pickups draw heavily from the alternative rock of the Smashing Pumpkin, Lazyeyes take from the more underground sound of Sonic Youth, The Stone Roses, Swervedriver, and Ride. There’s also a bit of the 80s Smiths influence that comes through nicely. It’s impressive in that it all sounds so familiar yet never feels replicated.
During the show Abrishami commanded the stage with gently buried vocals over heavily reverbed guitar from Camenzuli. At some points, like during the introductory guitar solo of “Islip” it’s hard not to smile because a delicate balance between joyful and melancholy. And when everything kicked into overdrive during the hooky chorus it had the whole dancefloor rocking. Another highlight was the slower, throbbing title track off their brand new E.P. New Year. It was slower but brought a nice dynamic to the set with Samson pounding the drums like Mike Joyce of the Smiths.
However, the last two songs before the encore, “Windowsill” and “Adaptation” really brought down the house with Abrishami soloing like Thurston Moore making sweet love to his guitar while listening to “Waterfall” by the Stone Roses. It was enthralling and engrossing and made me really look forward to their upcoming LP which I’ve been informed is in the works!
Overall, this was an excellent way to spend a Sunday night. Lazyeyes ran through all of their E.P. New Years including a couple songs off their eponymous E.P. and they started off the set with an unreleased song “Mind’s Eye.” Definitely look out for these guys in the coming months.
Article by: Steven Klett
Cover photo: Timothy Murray
