Bella’s Bartok and the Whiskey Treaty Road Show
Colonial Theatre Pittsfield, MA
April 16, 2016
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Readers of this site know that we have been seeing a lot of Bella’s Bartok lately. So it was with great excitement that we went to their home town of Pittsfield MA to see them in a larger setting, at the historic Colonial Theatre. This was their home town CD release show, different than their college town release a few weeks earlier, in a more posh setting in front of their relatives and old friends.
The show opened with The Whiskey Treaty Road Show. In all of the best ways this band is much like some of the song writing driven bands of the 1970s with a plethora of writers and singers in the band, laying down material in a musical setting that ranges between folk, rock and Americana. More like the eastern kings of that concept, The Band, than the western purveyors The Eagles, The Whiskey Treaty were an exceptional band, especially for the length of time they’ve been together. The material was well sculpted, and carefully executed.
Most of the show’s audio was captured:
I’m a big Chris Merenda fan, and the fact that he is in this band, playing banjo and contributing vocals is a big plus for me. But all of the guys in the band were equally awesome, each with their own take material and each with their own songs to contribute. One of them called up their lady to sing Gillian Welch’s Look at Miss Ohio which was a perfect example of the type of music they are purveying.
Up next Bella’s Bartok took the stage to a roar from the intimate but strong crowd. They opened with their single Ramona and plowed through nearly twenty songs from their catalog, both new and older material. This seemed like an historic show, where the band was really showcasing what they’ve achieved and how far they’ve come. A benchmark show that illustrates the current state of material, and their ability to produce it on stage, with energy and clarity.
The entire show’s audio:
They played all of the material I would have hoped to hear, Fiddler and the Devil, Masquerade, Bagend March, almost everything else from Change Yer Life, their current release. They even did a crazy cover, System of a Down’s Sugar. You could feel the energy oozing out of them, and it was a thrill to be part of this coming out party for them.
To Submit a review or story for consideration hit us at [email protected]
Check out the Live Music News and Review.com Facebook page for updates and announcements.
