Live Music Review // Acoustic Day at Café Atlantique, Milford CT, August 3rd 2024
Additional photos can be found in an album on Facebook here :::
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1536937333703149&type=3
The first thing that needs to be known about this show is that I haven't been to Milford in I don't even know how long but once you get to Café Atlantique, you will find street parking that is only for one hour or less and then parking for the businesses that are near them. We had to park down near the water and walk for a bit to get to the café, which was fine, but it is kind of weird to me that it makes it seem like Milford is somewhere they don't want you to stay for very long. Or maybe I'm just too used to parking in New Haven.
Without turning this into an entire essay about parking in Connecticut (which I could write) the way this was set up outside was nice because we were able to sit at a table and experience the music, as were others. Throughout the day, with the different artists and everyone playing acoustic it could feel like it would be redundant at some point, but overall I was surprised by how different it felt from set to set, with every artist bringing something unique to the table.
The day started with Café Pizzeria, a one person with a guitar show with someone also banging on a box behind them for percussion. This was not only a fun set but a great way to start things off because it had all that acoustic energy of a folk punk set. Without naming other names too deeply, I just think of this as being the type of sound you'd hear at Cherry Street Station with Sister Wife Sex Strike. Just a ton of energy and fun!
Luke Molina was up second and though this was one person + acoustic guitar it had a much different feel to it than Café Pizzeria. There was a lot of intricate guitar work and it felt like more of the blues than anything else. Luke Molina told stories of traveling around, playing songs and just meeting people in general and so it had that nomad type of feel to it as well. Though I'm pretty sure Luke Molina is from the CT, the music did feel heavily influenced by New Orleans and that made this set just have that certain soul I enjoy.
Old Milk Mooney is a name I hear a lot in Connecticut and was excited to finally see live for the first time. This duo had harmonies in singing with an acoustic guitar and sometimes a clarinet. What came out was just beautiful and melodic. If you've had a long day and are feeling stressed (and let's be fair, in this current climate who isn't) then this is the perfect sound to listen to if you just want to unwind and forget about your troubles.
Ethan Griffeth took to the stage next and played an acoustic guitar while singing. Again, the idea of this whole thing was that none of the musicians sounded similar so even though this was the same formula for music as Luke Molina the outcome was different. Ethan Griffeth has this big sound with these raucous vocals. In ways this reminded me of Jake Manzi but it also had this twist that only Ethan Griffeth could put on it.
A solo set from Julian Michaels of Minus Points was next and it was interesting to see how that emo/punk sound of Minus Points would translate to being acoustic. When I think of Minus Points I think of music which is both loud and fast paced. I've always felt like the old MTV concept of "Unplugged" was underrated because a lot of artists really had to reimagine their songs to be on there. So this set was really a lot of fun and one of those things every Minus Points fan should experience, even though it could be done in an Unplugged way at some point down the line and still have light drums.
Gino Ferraro was an artist I was hearing for the first time and this set was just vocals + acoustic guitar. The difference between Gino Ferraro and the others who played on this day is that these songs came out in more of a pop way, almost like Chris Isaak, and I really enjoyed that it felt like as Gino Ferraro played and sang, pieces of him were being left out there as well. It was vulnerable and just the type of music that can elicit a reaction whether you want it to or not because of the passion.
Though Beachside Property was not the last act of the day they were for us. This was the most people to perform at one time so far, as there were four of them- one playing the box for percussion, an electric bass and two acoustic guitars. Three of the four of them also took turns singing, which made for an interesting dynamic. Going back to the idea of being Unplugged this was definitely one of those concepts where I enjoyed this set but can't tell if they're this dreamy surf rock when full electric or perhaps even some sort of math rock / skramz.
After about four hours of music and the sun setting directly onto us we made the decision to leave. There was ten sets scheduled for the day and we had seen seven, so if we stayed outside much longer it might have been one of those things that drained me for days to come. As we were walking back to the car, which was a good walk if you remember from before, we could see the dark clouds coming over Milford.
I've driven home from places in the downpour and storms and this was a bit like that, as we went up 15 and felt the storms, but the one thing I'm glad about is that we left when we did because I couldn't imagine having to walk back to the car from the café in the downpour (which, again, I've done elsewhere before) This entire afternoon though was a good reminder to see as many of these artists as possible in other settings because they were all just so different but so talented.
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