Last night Danielle and I went to the Grog Shop to see Twin Forks. Lead singer Chris Carrabba, previously of Dashboard Confessional, took some risk starting from scratch and creating the completely new sound named Twin Forks. Chris has been known to mingle and float between genres. He grew up passionate about music and one of his first bands was post-hardcore and named Further Seems Forever. Between then and now, Chris dedicated his time to an emo band called Dashboard Confessional (or simply “Dashboard”). Twin Forks was created in 2011 and originated in Florida. They released their first self-titled EP in 2013 and debut self-titled full length in early 2014. There are male and female vocals, banjos, mandolins, and tambourines which many people associate with an Americana sound. Their EP that was released last fall left listeners wanting more. It consists of five upbeat songs with a strong kick-drum presence (“Back to You,” “Something We Just Know,” “Cross My Mind,” “Can’t Be Broken,” and “Scraping up the Pieces”). No it did not feature much variety but it got everyone excited for their full length debut that was released earlier this year. On the full length album “Kiss Me Darling” features a solo by vocalist and violinist Suzie Zeldin. Her voice captivates listeners and encourages them to sing along. In other songs Suzie’s harmonies may be disregarded because the songs are so dynamic but here, Suzie and Chris both demand attention. I admit that live, they were grittier with a few pitch issues here and there but the energy in the room was simply alluring and infectious. They ended the show with “Back To You” which got people singing, clapping and dancing. Many people lingered to buy a CD or tee, get autographs, or hang out at the bar long after the set.

By Light We Loom is a local band from the Kent area that opened the show. Previously known as Bethesda, the charming couple debuted as By Light We Loom just last night. They describe themselves as indie-folk pop and their short set last night was a perfect way to open the show. Shanna and Eric tell stories with their songs and converse with the crowd in between which proves just how genial they are. I can’t wait to hear their new music and witness how this project of theirs will develop from here.

Seryn is a six-piece band from Denton, Texas. In my opinion, they were the highlight of the night since I hadn’t checked out the openers and didn’t know what to expect from either band. Their music is amazingly complex because the band is so large. Their debut album This Is Where We Are was released in 2011. They’ve released two singles in the last two years “Disappear” and “Ivory Black.” The first thing I noticed about them was their size and kept thinking that six people was nearly too much to fit on the stage. But a few songs into their set, I realized just how talented they are. They had stunning harmonies and sounded amazing live which made it hard to believe that it wasn’t prerecorded. The band is able to produce such amazing sound using a ukulele, banjo, accordion, violin, bass, various percussion and guitars. From their 2013 single “Ivory Black,” one lyric in particular stuck with me – “I’ll never learn to fly if I never leave this nest.” All of their music and lyrics evoke emotion which is often hard to come by.  I was also impressed by their stage presence when I was struggling to single out the frontman and quickly realized that there isn’t one and didn’t need to be. Their latest single “Disappear” has me itching for more and I cannot wait for their sophomore album to be released.

– Victoria Race