Teen Men, Avers & ELEL play Baby's All Right

The weather here in NY has been super depressing lately – snow, hail, rain, slush and everything in between. Luckily for us, Baby’s All Right was home for a few hours to a lineup of Teen Men, Avers and ELEL that instantly lifted our spirits. Starting things off, Teen Men, shrouded in total darkness while projected images played out behind them, made sure to pay homage to the late, great Leonard Nimoy before beginning their set. The 4-piece band played a mixture of surf pop, with elements of ambient music and psychedelic guitar. I thought the backdrop was merely for show, but it acted as the fifth band member – with lead singer Nick Krill gesturing with his hands as images came to life onscreen. Their set was an assault on the senses that I doubt anyone would have a hard time enjoying.

Teen Men

Next, 5-piece band Avers assaulted the crowd with fuzzy garage rock. I had seen Avers perform over a year ago on this same stage, and to see the progression in their performance is astounding. Their songs were incredibly melodic, and members of the band, visibly engrossed in the music, rocked out onstage without it ever becoming contrived or showy. They are definitely on my list of bands to watch in 2015 and beyond.

Avers

Finally, ELEL took the stage and blew all my expectations out of the water with their supremely infectious tunes. The huge 7-piece band, complete with horns, a percussion station, 3 keyboards, guitars and a whole lot of harmonies managed to finally get the crowd full on dancing; including two people right down in front that twirled and bopped around during the entire set. Playing the indie-pop, anthemic number “40 Watt,” ELEL cast their net of feel-good vibes across the room so well it felt like an 85 degree summer day instead of the brisk 20. I’d say that is a bonafide success.