Concert Review: Ethan Gruska Turns Drunk Dials Into Art At Town Hall

Ethan Gruska is a nerd, in the most wonderful of ways. Often, the term “nerd” is used to insult someone, but for me, being one, it is a celebratory ode to those of us smart enough to enjoy the small things in life. As Ethan humorously repeated his love for the specific piano on stage, at Town Hall, I fell in love. Here was a guy who created poetry based off of a time he drunk-dialed his ex.

If drunk-dialing my exes produced beautiful art, I would be The Met and MoMA combined. Yet, we cannot all be Ethan Gruska. We cannot look at our hometown, “The Valley”, and create a tear-jerking song about growing up and figuring out how your past, especially your childhood, defines your future. I truly believe that what makes life’s sourer moments so bitter is that, before they come, we have known sweetness. A lot of us have had great relationships, but then had that “one moment/ person” which taught us bad things exist too. Ethan’s capacity to combine these truths made me cry from how beautiful his lyrics are, and placed me in awe that he could then have an open discussion about, again, “drunk dialings”.

The beauty of genius is that it is casual. From Albert Einstein to Socrates, we admire how easy universal thoughts came to them. Now, I m not saying Ethan is a physic or philosophical genius, but, from “Attacker” to ”Me Who Wasn’t Trying”, he proved he was emotionally brilliant. Like Tall Heights he displayed you need wit to be witty; a man who laughs at tragedy knows also how to absorb it. Yet, like Brent Faiyaz or Justin Nozuka, he radiated how good a good voice feels.

I could live in Ethan Gruska’s vocality. Frankly, it surprised me how noble, high, and cozy his vocals felt, all at once. He lays his notes like they are a carpet for you to lie on, and look up at the stars he twilights through piano melodies. I cannot do the beauty of his voice justice; simply because it has an impactful resonance. There amongst the silent crowd at Town Hall his voice beamed like light should, and, for a moment, people forgot that beyond this room was a world because the room became a universe and his voice was the center of it. For More Information On Ethan Gruska Click Here.