Seryn, Songs of Water
Visulite Theatre
April 29, 2015
A handful of songs into their set on Wednesday night, Texas roots-rock band Seryn decided to try something different. They unplugged all of their instruments — except for an acoustic bass — and gathered at the front of the stage. Singer Trenton Wheeler told the sparse crowd to gather up close. “It’s strange having a 20-foot space before we can see people. So, let’s try this out …”
The sextet scrambled with some logistics and then proceeded to perform a few songs amidst the attentive silence — striking all the right chords, hitting every luscious harmonies and offering a warm sonic blanket to the appreciative crowd. When Wheeler suggested the band plug back in, the crowd expressed its displeasure. So Wheeler and Co. belted out a few more tunes before plugging in for the band’s final two songs.
You want to make a statement with your performance in front of a small crowd? Do something different and do it really, really well. It wasn’t easy to follow a solid set of rock-infused world music from Songs of Water, but there’s no doubt the next time Seryn is in town, more people will be at the show. I can’t imagine anyone walking away from the Elizabeth music venue without looking forward to telling someone, anyone, about what they just witnessed.
This article appears in Apr 29 – May 5, 2015.
