Concert Review: Wild Planes Release My Inner Rocker At Gramercy Theatre
I am convinced that the reason rock n’ roll is considered “badass” is because it is fun. Usually, the funnest things like, dancing and drinking, are pushed towards sinfulness. Yet, life is balance. Any lightness can be dimmed into darkness if you are not careful, but being cautious does not mean being inhibited. Sometimes. the freer you are means the safer you are. If you trust yourself then you have more fun, and Wild Planes showed me all those lessons and then some through their Gramercy Theatre performance.
Wild Planes approach the stage like a pack of friendly wolves. Yes, I know that sounds like an oxymoron, friendly and wolves, but there is a welcomeness to their style that makes their audience feel like apart of the pack. For them, the stage is a juicy steak ready to be devoured by the teeth of their guitar strings. They play their instruments like they were stringed carnivores hungry for music, and graze the stage as if it were their territory. The result is an energy that feels wild. This may seem plain, but we all want to feel wild or, at least, free from conformity and worries, especially now. The event organized by 7 crowns, definitely, had mentions of Trump’s madness course throughout its various artists, which gave the concert hall an atmosphere of both safety from his derangement and an acknowledgement to get clearer and resist. You may not see rock n’ roll as a clearing genre, but when you are pure in your joy and truth then you get much clearer. Wild planes music is all about debauchery and love woes, but their essence is about earnesty and embracing life like you are apart of it, which is easy when you have the voice of Kris Carmello.
Carmello has a unique voice for rock n’ roll because it sounds like it was made for an R&B. There is a light soulfulness to his vocals that have a hint of smokiness to their tone. Moreover, he does not mind playing and richly extending a note to give it the “feels”. Hearing the blazing guitars and bass of Sean Mac and Jimmy “Ray” Hoag gives you the old school rock vibes that beautifully clash with Carmello’s vocals. Yes, “clashing” mean bad, but I mean it in terms of beautiful difference. When you hear the blaring drums of Andre Jevnik counter the subtle sweetness of Carmello’s voice, you feel like you have been handed a hard candy: it may be rough but, it tastes good. In some ways, that is the point of rock n’roll; to show you that rough is not bad. On the contrary, the better things in life are, usually, the hardest to achieve. Hence, the “hard” sound of Wild Planes is like a veil for a band that is all about having a good time. They run across the stage, bash their heads and instruments, and riff on their mics/ human commentary to show that freedom is for confident. You have to believe not just in you, as an artist, but in your audience. Humorously, their performance reminded me of Wayne’s World quote “If you book them, they will come”. If you book Wild Planes, people WILL come because it is a guarantee of a good time. For More Information on Wild Planes Click Here.
