Concert Review: Ron Gallo Is The Weirdo We All Wish We Could Be
We all are weird. We all have a little crazy in us, and a bit of a hidden poet, as well. We all look at the randomly, colorful personalities that cross our path everyday, and claim to “judge” their eccentricities, while secretly wishing we could let out our own. Thus, what makes Ron Gallo so endearing as an artist and performer is that he is “weird” in the most vulnerable of ways.
Again, when I say weird I do not mean it to degrade. On the contrary, I mean it to admire. I feel like every human being is an outcast trying to “fit in”, which is why Gallo is so refreshing. He is not trying to “fit in’. He is trying to make his own path as “the guy” that every one would downplay his fantastical ideas, while wishing they had some. His lyrics are vivid, colorful backdrops that he sings and writes like an onlooking troubadour. They tussle between poignant observations of life and surreal portrayals of its mundaneness. He shows the “everydayness” of love, peace, work, money, and whatever other emotion and material a human may clutch through their life. Yet, he elevates the routine ways we go about our world through indie rock and blues rhythms. Even now, as I write this, I smile at his capacity to see the common threads of life and sing about them as if they were a dream.
There is something about Gallo’s vibe that says “dreamer” and feels free. It could be in his lax , “bluesy” voice, where even the slightest vocal annotations give a sense of enlivenment. For the most part, Gallo is pretty straight-toned, but when he edges his voice it feels like a reawakening. When you hear his dry casualness match the surreal emotions of his lyrics, you witness an odd match between sentiment and standard. It feeds his Millennial troubadour essence in that he is here to lyrically report on life, for whatever that is. Again, I feel like I am saying everything about Gallo that someone should not like: he is weird, his voice has a dryness to it, and also he has huge, curly fro that makes him appear like, a second coming of Bob Dylan, especially when you hear him sing his folkish tunes. His physical resonance and presence to Dylan made me wonder if Gallo carried a sketchbook of his drawings and Shakespearean ideas. From his songs, you can definitely sense there is a detailed, analytical side to him. Whether it is in seeing the world through seriousness or humor, his music shows that he is definitely looking. Yet, it all fits into the spiritual frequency that is Gallo: he is the “weirdo” we all wish we could be.
Gallo is not simply unique, but talented. His voice could be a Millennial vocal twin for Buddy Holly, and his guitar swag has a Western feel to it. He plays the guitar like a cowboy ready to draw: with a slick forwardness that will leave listeners charmed. It all feeds his aura of relaxed confidence, where you feel that he could care less whether he is loved or hated. He is about his music, and being opened through the waves of sound that journey from his mind to his hands. Thus, his relaxed demeanor and voice elevate the vividness of the folk, indie rock that he provides. He played Alphaville on July 5, and I would highly recommend fellow Brooklynites to check him out the next time he decides to rock this area.
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