Agent Moosehead + Honey Radar + On The Water + Easy Corner - Green Line (Phila, PA; Mar. 14, 2009)

I can’t remember the last time I celebrated St Patrick’s Day. Oh wait: That’s because I’ve never celebrated St Patrick’s Day. Last Saturday, I was determined to keep it that way (I know, what a party pooper). Swarms of students wearing green shirts had invaded the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, preventing regular people from going about their business without fearing accidental beer spills, or worse (I will let readers imagine—or remember—the possibilities). I quickly departed from campus to find refuge at the Green Line café, five blocks further west.

In these five blocks, everything changes. No more leprechauns. No more empty cups on the curb. No more boom boxes blasting. Green becomes once again a friendly, peaceful color. Things are chill at the Green Line café, and this comes from someone who doesn’t particularly like using the word “chill.” But it describes the atmosphere pretty well. People of all ages and levels of hipsterdom congregate here. On my left, two friends chat while knitting. On my right, a father is buying his daughter an afternoon snack. I am catching up on my reading. The show finally starts at 7:00 PM sharp. Sherman Arts, an organization that promotes community building through the arts in West Philadelphia, prepared a line-up of four bands to fit into three short hours.

The first on stage were Easy Corner. I must confess having had some apprehension seeing that 4 out of the 5 band members were wearing green shirts, but giving them a chance was well worth the effort. Easy Corner showered us with a satisfying set, showcasing the talents of an energetic drummer and an adept guitarist. Perhaps one of the most exciting qualities of the band was its compelling ability to combine the vocal talents of frontman/guitar player Brian Glassett and keyboard player Kyle Graham. The set felt pretty solid for a band that was formed only a couple months ago—and whose band members may or may not have spent part of the day at a St Paddy’s pub crawl!

On The Water was the second band to perform that night, and, in my opinion, stole everyone else’s thunder. An acoustic guitar, a banjo, and a violin swept the audience with beautiful yet simple tunes. Part of the band’s magic resided in Fletcher VanVliet’s uncanny ability to modulate his voice to accentuate its folksy charm and intensity. It was hard to resist the emotion emanating from a tribute to his cat, his “beautiful friend” who keeps him “warm late into the night.” VanVliet joined forces with banjo player Barrett Lindgren and violinist Stephen Landis, fervidly chanting a hymn to the unstoppable course of time, singing “I’m not worried about getting old because I know we’ll stay this way.”

Enthusiasm peaked at the end of On The Water’s set, which made it a tough act to follow. The third band to perform was the trio Honey Radar, and the change in style was a bit abrupt. While On The Water focused on expressing forceful yet nuanced emotions, Honey Radar was as aloof as can be. It felt a bit like watching them practice at home, especially since a loud buzz that survived the soundcheck remained throughout the performance. But Honey Radar’s detached attitude was fairly entertaining. There’s something to be said for not taking yourself seriously, and for purposely creating a sense of amateurism. Songs were kept short, and a friend of the band recorded the whole set on tape (TAPE?!). There is no doubt that the sound quality of this cassette will further enhance the endearingly scatterbrained quality of their performance.

The final and headlining band of the evening was Agent Moosehead. Uber-professional frontman Chris Dipolitto quickly set the tone for some serious business. Agent Moosehead’s jazzy compositions consisted of engaging conversations between a meticulous guitar (Chris Dippolito), a rightfully confident bass (John Dipolitto), unfailing drums (Jon McNally), and an appropriately quirky keyboard (John Briley). The band usually comprises seven members, but the tight space forced Agent Moosehead into a restricted configuration. Trumpet player Tom Madeja made a couple well-timed guest appearances, adding to the diversity of a sound that might otherwise have risked getting a bit repetitive. One of the highlights of Agent Moosehead’s performance was reached with a zestful remix of Nintendo’s Mega-Man theme music. The transitions between the eight different sections were quite adroitly maneuvered as the crowd slowly dissociated into childhood reveries.

Three hours and four bands later, the show came to an end, but the Green Line café didn’t close shop quite yet on this Saturday March 14, 2009. There was time to digest the performances and order yet another hot beverage and delicious pastry. I may not be a fan of St Paddy’s, but I sure do like pi day.

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