Concert Review: Ida Mae Reach At Forest Hills Stadium
When you are a “rising artist” there is always a humbling moment; a gentle reminder that you are closer to where you want to be but you got ways to go. For me, it is performing on a stage that is clearly set up for the headliner; whether it be their name on a giant banner behind you or a sea of black, blanketed instruments when all you have is a guitar and you are holding it. This thought came into my mind as Ida Mae played for the Greta Van Fleet diehards.
Greta Van Fleet has been treated by fans as Led Zeppelin’s second coming. We love them because, yes, they sound and maneuver exactly like them…. And? Thus, upon entrance, both bands’ names felt tied, but Ida Mae served their own separate originality. With the stage dominated by paraphernalia for the headlining act, they had their guitars and their drum- kit with their name, on tow, and they did the most with what they had to make the Forest Hills Stadium feel Ida Mae’d. There are so many artists out there, but I always gravitate towards “new” or “rising” artists because I perpetually understand what is to be going “somewhere” but never qualified as “there”; a theme that is recurring in Ida Mae’s sound.
Ida Mae – Reaching (Official Music Video)
Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean are Amercana Rock to a T. They serve folksy lyrics about sacrifice, struggle, and imagined euphoria over chords that are blued and blazoned with anthemic emotionality. Stephanie and Chris perform like their life depends on it; using their bodies and vocal notes like pleas to the gods, “Can’t you make ONE THING GO RIGHT?!” Hence, songs like, “If You Don’t Love Me,” “My Girl Is A Heartbreak,” and “Reaching” had powerful effects because they made me reanalyze Americana. When it comes to rock and all its reiterations, it will be analyzed for how it speaks to anger and pain, but Ida Mae sing to the desperations that spark both.
Ida Mae – If You Don’t Love Me (Official Music Video)
You are only hurt because you wanted something and you did not get it; whether you deserved it or not, you did not “win.” Hence, most of their songs and uproarious, hued melodies sang to the groveling need for a “change” that never comes. Turpin’s voice is smoky and Jean’s vocally is like amber; both emanating a sense of sentimental fire that you want to play with until it burns. Thus, it is not just that I foresee a magnificent future for Ida Mae, but I also I want it for them. It is not easy to be original in a world filled with influences, but Ida Mae are a distinguishable spark within the mass fire. For More Information On Ida Mae Click Here.
