5.21.10







Seeing an undiscovered band in a small venue is always a toss-up. So many things can go wrong and completely ruin your night: bad band, crappy venue, terrible crowd, etc. All of these concerns were forgotten by the time Apollo Run played their first note at Rockwood Music Hall.

First off, Rockwood Music Hall(stage 2) is a fantastic venue. The venues capacity is 150-200 people and there are plenty of tables for you to sit down and relax with a few friends, a cold beer and good music. Stage 2 has a very intimate feel but the big windows in front help make it feel like you aren't stuck in a cellar. With a friendly staff and Mr.Rockwood himself on the sound board, how can you go wrong? On to the show...

Apollo Run's lead vocalist is John McGrew who also plays piano/keys and guitar. The band started their set with McGrew on the piano which leaves Jeff Kerestes on bass and Graham Fisk on drums. This is the setup Apollo Run had for the majority of their hour long set which makes for an interesting sound given that there is no lead guitar. Also kicking off the set with Apollo Run was a horn section by the name of The Horns of Hanoi. It sounds like an odd set-up but it works, Apollo Run sounded fantastic.

The piano and McGrews vocals filled the small venue with crisp, clean sound. The bass and drums, which could easily overpower the piano if not played properly, blended in perfectly. Apollo Run also did a great job of mixing it up for the crowd throughout the night. McGrew played the trumpet on at least two occasions and Jeff played a bass solo from one of the tables in the middle of the venue. At the end of the show all three band members came into the crowd for a short sing-along.

Apollo Run are fairly difficult to describe with one musical genre tag. I think some of their songs without the horns sound a lot like early Ben Folds Five. With or without the horns, some other songs remind me of the more mellow songs from Rx Bandits. The song "Love Song" sounds like something Buddy Holly would have come up with if he lived through the 80's punk explosion while the song "Thats How It Felt" is so soulful and classic that you could swear it was made 35 years ago for Motown Records.

In short, Apollo Run play their own (mostly mellow) style of music that is soulful, classic, sincere and fun all at the same time. They sound very good on their own but I think with a horn section Apollo Run are a great musical experience. I really enjoyed seeing Apollo Run live and I think you will too.

4 out 5

review by CB

Apollo Run website