Concert Review: Old Sea Brigade Lands Onto LPR’s Shore
Something about loneliness radiates through a guitar. When it comes to quintessential instruments the guitar is, practically, equal to a piano. It feels like the foundation of music, and with each string pluck Old Sea Brigade landed his songs like a Navy Captain that had been wandering Life’s seas for too long. For Le Poisson Rouge, OSB played to the dichotomy of being the oldest, young guy.
Sometimes, I think I am a thousand years old. Dramatically, I put my fist to the Heavens and yell, “I AM NOT TRYING TO BE A SAINT, JESUS!” as I see the 3 train will not arrive for another 22 minutes. Life can be hard in a range of degrees, which is why I understand why some people say, “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Perhaps, he had already carried so much that all needed was one little piece of straw to, finally, have that long-awaited breakdown. From “Salt“ to “Mirror Moon,“ Old Sea Brigade felt like the straw; vocally embodying the moment when the lightest thing makes you feel all the waves of emotion you’ve been avoiding.
To continue with my “sea analogies,” Old Sea Brigade’s voice, or rather Ben Cramer, felt like the moon. When you think about how 60% of the human body is water, of course, the moon affects us: from full to waning. In the same way, Ben’s voice whether full or waning through tracks like, “Day By Day” moved the spiritual waters within. He sang like a man looking at the stars, ready to dock into another life situation, and wondering whether it would end in the same way all other situations do: with him longingly look at the moon wishing he was sky. Okay, I am giving SOME POETIC descriptions of this guy when, in truth, he was a regular, with guy with a guitar. Yet, is that “common quality” that made his poesy special.
From demeanor to detail, Old Sea Brigade appeared like another chill guy waiting in front of you at Trader Joe’s. Yet, sometimes, as I ride in the subway cart to that, finally, arrived L train, I look at the “regular” people, and wonder if they are like me; asking themselves when they will feel like they finally landed on their life. That is OSB’s music; the pondering of every person that wanted to know when they will land where they need or want to be. For More Information Old Sea Brigade Click Here.
