Gallery & Review: Marco Benevento at The Blockley
(Philadelphia, PA) Marco Benevento trekked through a snowstorm to perform at The Blockley, in the middle of a five show jaunt through the Northeast. Occupying the space formerly home to the venerable Chestnut Cabaret, the Blockley is run by true music lovers, showcasing nationally touring and local bands 4-5 nights a week- its intimate stage, big dancefloor with chill spaces, and friendly hospitality, make it a gem in Philly’s concert scene.
Before the show I had an opportunity to ask Mr. Benevento what to expect, he explained, “It’s all instrumental music- a real acoustic piano, hot-rodded with guitar and piano pickups going through various distortion pedals, guitar effects, and amps, so it’s like, ‘rock piano meets a modern electronic experimental version of music.’ I also have a looper with riffs that I’ve made, mellotron and drum machine loops, drumming from my records, various sounds from a laptop as well. When I tell people its piano-bass-and-drums, some immediately think it’s a jazz band- those elements paint a calm, quiet picture… But it’s the opposite of that! Really loud and upbeat, lots of danceable, straight grooves versus swing, so shows are an uplifting dance party.”
The Dirk Quinn Band, clearly firing on all cylinders upon returning home after a month-long tour, and bolstered by Michael Borowski (Splintered Sunlight) on keys, got things rolling with infectious energy and tight dynamic musicianship.
Superhuman Happiness, a mashup of players from Antibalas and TV On The Radio, followed with AfroCuban beats, incredible bursts of brilliance courtesy sax master Stuart Bogie, and an irresistible heavy groove from bassist Nikhil Yerawadekar.
Benevento took the stage around 11:30, hinted at special guests to appear, and announced that at two o’clock- instead of curfew and last call – the venue would stay open and sell package goods, so he intended to play all night! Of course the crowd went nuts, as bassist Dave Dreiwitz and drummer Andy Borger launched into a first set highlighted by Benevento’s familiar “instrumental sing-along” THE REAL MORNING PARTY, new tune FIREWORKS, and cover of Carly Simon’s NOBODY DOES IT BETTER.
After a brief pause, the band returned for nearly another hour of music, at which point stagehands set up a forest of mic stands. Brass band Soul Rebels had come from their gig across town, for a late night jam. Suddenly the scene was crammed with horns and percussion, about a dozen musicians were onboard. Brooklyn met Bourbon Street and Cajun craziness ensued as the audience, fueled by countless six packs and blasted by authentic New Orleans sound, raucously swerved into after-party mode. Proceedings hit critical mass during Nirvana’s SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT, as everyone screamed the lyrics to accompany the band hammering the melody at maximum intensity.
After a well-deserved break for all, Benevento emerged not for an encore, but yet another full set, including his gorgeous YOU MUST BE A LION, Elton John’s BENNY AND THE JETS featuring fans belting out the chorus, and a double shot of Led Zeppelin that left us in rapture. The band quit the stage, only to return amazingly for a 30 minute encore. The extravaganza finally wrapped at quarter to four, Benevento had performed 3 1/2 solid hours of magic- chalk up one more night for the ages! — Bud Fulginiti