Press & Reviews
Mosaic
The Review (University of Delaware)
October 6, 1998
New bands offer the bad, the good and the utterly strange
Block heated up the Deer Park Friday night with a soft touch and warm lyrics
By Mike Bederka, Entertainment Editor
Lead singer and guitarist Jamie Block takes a few puffs of his tobacco pipe before the show begins. A vanilla aroma swirls around the stage and the surrounding bar. It's Friday night at the Deer Park, and the sweet smelling music is in tune. The light crowd keeps their distance at first, but that soon changes.
Block, the trio from New York City, stops off in Newark for the first time to offer their self-described "alterna-folk" to anyone who wanted to listen. And that isn't many people - at first. It's Homecoming Eve, and it appears most were interested in the "kegs and eggs" that would be consumed early the next morning.
The crowd remains distant, filling out the sides of the bar, but Block is only one song deep into their set. A listener cannot help but be drawn in by the band. They perform quirky and sarcastic songs like "3rd Mall from the Sun" and "I Used to Manage PM Dawn."
The latter tune was influenced by the Los Angeles music industry "weirdos" that Jamie has dealt with during his career. "I do not think a regular CD cover will work for you/we should fly you guys to Iceland/and do a picture on a glacier," he sings to the contunually growing crowd.
The mostly upbeat scene remains constant throughout the short 45-minute set. The three members of Block - Jamie, bassist John Abbie and drummer Mark Hutchins - keep eye contact with each other, almost anticipating each other's next move. John is hard to restrain. His heavy riffs almost throw him off stage as he jumps back and forth between the audience and the other two band members. But Block's sound is not always as highly energetic. They also take a step down, playing some slower tracks from tehir new release "Timing is Everything."
"Catch a Falling Star" is about just that, and it makes the body feel a
wee bit fuzzy inside. "Catch a falling star/put it in your pocket/and save it for a rainy day. "Being a band that tours up and down the East Coast from Maine to Virginia, Block performs a song about their travels in the van - "I-95." "I tried to look back as you diminished in size/it felt good to be gone/to say goodbye."
The once invisible line that keeps the crowd 10 feet back is now blurred. Fans drunken with music and beer swing their new found friends around, edging closer to the stage. Although it really isn't the best dance music, it suits the audience's needs. The catchy harmonies between Jamie and Mark make the listener want more.
They close their set with a little extra added spice - "The Pink House Must Burn." This song pumps in fast synthesized beats over the original guitar, drum and bass. The high octane carries out to the real instruments as well. To add to his drumming, Mark interrupts the song a few times with a yelp and Jamie hits the strings until one rips out and almost slumps on the floor.
The crowd mills around for a bit after Block finishes their set. A few go up and shake Jamie's hand. He is gracious, and sincerely thanks each one. He retucks his blue shirt into his plaid golf pants and walks out the
Deer Park's back door. The tour van needs to be packed because they have many more stops on the road.
But this won't be the last time Block's name will be heard around town
- "I-95 always goes through Delaware."