Photos by Makena Cummings
After missing the opportunity to commemorate Leap Day in 2012, we zeroed in on this year’s celebration at Arlene’s Grocery with Goodman, Corporal, and Lazyeyes. Our staff dressed the venue up in true Wild Honey Pie fashion, with abundant yellow and blue balloons and a stage filled with flowers and bees hanging from above (much to the chagrin of the taller performers).
The first performer of the night was Goodman, who, despite warning the audience that his voice was mostly shot, gave the set everything he had. Even as his vocals dwindled towards the end, he delivered searing renditions of tracks from his previous EP and a brand new track “Shallow”, which we premiered last week. Between songs, the band playfully bantered with each other, making for a charismatic stage presence overall and a damn good beginning to the evening.
Corporal’s recorded works tend to follow a more folksy bluesy rock, but on Monday, they brought the energy with a rocking set. Lead singer Michael Shannon put his heart into the performance, while Ray Rizzo provided lively percussion with the common addition of harmonica. Corporal’s set concluded with two renditions of “Obama” (one slow and the second flying) followed by the gorgeous ballad, “Committed”, ending with the powerful lines “everything has an end including civilization and civility too/and a simple consideration passed between semi-literate people and god in the night.”
When Lazyeyes took the stage, they maintained the blistering energy from the preceding set, playing fan favorites such as “New Year” and “Adaptation” off of their previous EPs. These dream-pop anthems showcase the band’s dynamic blend of reverby, swirling shoegazey guitar sounds and 80s indie pop. This was their last show before embarking on a lengthy spring tour with Beverly, covering the South, the Midwest and more.
The performers put on a show worthy of Leap Day, and all before 10 in the evening when Arlene’s Famous Rock & Roll Karaoke took the stage to tear down the house. Stay tuned for our next Leap Day celebration, now less than four years away.