|
Smith Island's
Asylum
February 1, 2008
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery, NYC
Written by
Mikel J. McCoy
Photographed by Andrew Harris
photo.harris.gmail.com
Opposite
Photo: Aaron Burk
|
|
Smith Island is
theatrical…that much is obvious from the movie
screen projecting scenes of sex, drug use, and beach/shower
singing above the band on stage to the fact that
they have conceived and perform a ROCK OPERA. The
costumes are angels and nurses in lingerie, disheveled,
tattered lost beauty, and those two parts of their
show alone may just be worth the price of admission.
Add that their music is a mix of glam 70s, think
Bowie and T.Rex showmanship, big rock, like say
Queen’s epic rock grandeur and heavy metal
with an exacting female lyrist and you have a bona
fide original ROCK OPERA that’s as much rock
show as it is theater piece.
Gabriele Stubbert
Gabriele Stubbert
When we took in Smith Island performing Asylum
the afore mentioned opera at their monthly show
at the Bowery Poetry Club in the East Village we
were a bit amazed. Amazed by the spectacle, this
band has a definite aesthetic vision of their music,
by the ambition to make a somewhat old clique, rock
opera, if not all new again at least not a tired
retread, and their chops, from what it looked and
sounded like Smith Island know what to do and just
how to do it for maximum effect.
Gabriele Stubbert, Aaron
Burke and Angus Clark
Asylum is the Story of Zelda Zardoz, a
young woman who dreams of Hollywood stardom only
to face the trials and tribulations of drug use
and indiscriminate sex that drives her literally
crazy and lands her in the Smith Island Asylum.
The band tells this story with convincing hard rock
sounds and an original stage show/movie projection.
Singers, Gabrielle Stubbert and Steve Dawson weave
a tale as dark as gothic girls’ eye-make up
and the rest of the group leaves it all onstage
with precision vintage, not retro arrangements.
Aaron Burk
Smith Island performs
its rock opera, every first Friday of the month
at the Bowery Poetry Club. We suggest you go see
what the darkness and decadence is all about while
rocking out to these unique performers.
For more information about Smith Island, log onto:
myspace.com/smithisland.
For more information about the Bowery Poetry Club,
log onto: bowerypoetry.com.
|
