I do enjoy the paths that cross back and forth in life in our lives. Being somewhere totally different one moment and being able to get a hint of that in a totally different place in time, still gets to me. The whole COVID madness has changed the way I look at the past. The chill days of being able to breathe freely in small venues with less anxiety about crowds is nostalgic to me. Despite all of it though, I appreciate live music more and I’m starting to feel like things are slowly coming back. I am just feeling nostalgic and tapping into the moment in time that I freely wandered the streets of Austin where I first met Emily Kempf, bassist of Dehd.
It was the spring of 2019 and I went to Austin for the first time because I had the opportunity to cover SXSW. I met Emily Kempf while wandering Austin and we struck up a convo about the music scene in Chicago. She let me know her band was playing a showcase at Hotel Vegas and I added it to my list. I added a lot of bands to my list but I had no idea Dehd would end up being one of my favs.
When I got home from my trip I put their self titled album Dehd on repeat. That was also about the time they released the song “Lucky” which is my favorite song of theirs. When Flower of Devotion came out this year I knew I had to catch them again. When I saw the show pop up at Market Hotel, I knew it was worth hiking to Brooklyn to get packed in for a sold out show. I made my way to Market Hotel with my favorite companion who I had recently converted as one of their fans. We lined up to show all of our credentials which is pretty nerve racking but makes for a safer environment to share our love of music together. I for some reason thought Dehd was one of the opening acts, but it was Dehd that was headlining. My heart filled up to know they have a fan base out here. Not to give props to another well known music publication but they were given a “best new music” shout out from Pitchfork this year. Lionlimb started the show off with a softer sound that ended up changing quickly towards the end of their set with a more upbeat tempo. They were well received by the crowd that was pretty packed early in the night. My favorite tune was “Turnstile." “Ultraviolet” was another song that stood out for me. I didn’t know this duet plays for Angel Olsen which was an interesting fun fact I discovered while doing a little bit of
research.
Bnny was up next and they reminded me of two bands that took up my CD player in high school. They are reminiscent of Mazzy Starr and Cowboy Junkies which I credit to Jess Viscius’s soft beautiful voice. They had a similar take to their set as the escalation came later. Their guitarist, Adam Shubert, was just rolling out some slow melodic notes and then took off on their last two songs. I love the song “Promises."
After a brief intermission the lights came down and Dehd came on to the stage. They started off their set with “Lucky” and the audience went crazy. The energy between Dehd and their fans made the whole show. I was pushed a few times into the stage and when I turned around everyone was dancing and singing along. Guitarist Jason Balla wailed on his guitar and sang his heart out. For a chill surfer rock band they had quite the energy in Brooklyn Thursday night. They played all my favorite jams from their latest album including “Loner,” “Haha,” and “Flood.” They also performed “Sunburn” from their first album. The crowd never stopped jumping and turned the room into a low key mosh pit. They ended the show with the song “Desire” which they called Bnny onto the stage to join them.
As always I thank the music gods that fill my ears with all their notes and poetry. If you aren’t out supporting your local venues consider it if you are feeling a little easier about the times. There are places like Market Hotel that I am so happy are still around but still could use some more sold out shows. It’s places like these where I found my passion to pack a heavy camera bag and look for my next favorite band.
Live Coverage on AsburyParkVibes.com