6.5.09

May 4, 2009

By Night With Spear

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT NYC
As spring bestows its seasonal virtues upon the city and connecting boroughs, a resounding feeling of hope envelops the land and the people. The visual body count goes up on the streets and any vestige of public land available for recreational use is quickly taken over. As people fill the streets and parks, they also begin to fill the bars and clubs at night – and it is here that the visage of the NYC music scene starts to show its vibrant colors. Outdoor festivals are aligned, barbeques are enlivened with live music, and flocks of people feel motivated to venture out to explore the options of the city. People make conscious decisions to exhibit local music, but how is it that they come to these choices?

People know what is delivered to them – and what is delivered through the local scene seems, for the most part, to be larger indie acts that already have the driving PR wheels behind them. When it comes to the fresh, up-and-comers new bands, those that are selected to be in the spotlight always tend to amaze and befuddle the smaller community of musicians and promoters that often see their work turned a blind eye to.

One particular worthy new band, that delivers those resounding surges of springtime hope is By Night With Spear. Unfortunately, they will probably only come into the x-ray view of the few fortunate enough to stumble across them and appreciate their offerings.

Their name was inspired by the American artist, sculptor and avant-garde filmmaker, Joseph Cornell. His last film, the silent 9-minute, By Night with Torch and Spear, was produced in 1979 and explores the world of a steel foundry. It’s exactly this type of artistic inclination and exploration that inspires their current body of work. Heavily influenced by 80s post-punk and British new wave, this four-piece, fronted by the lovely Anaben, proves that their worth their weight in spirit. After initial ideas of the group were discussed around 2004, the band finally began performing out in legendary and now deceased LES venue The Continental. With a recent show at Santos Party House with Longview and Dead Leaf Echo, and a current signing with Self-Storage Recordings (who plans to release their first two EPs), By Night With Spear will undoubtedly make an indelible impact upon those listeners that prefer their drops of beauty mixed equally with majestic power.

By Night With Spear will be performing at the outdoor music festival Make Music Make New York at Deluxa on Sunday June 21st.

by Gordon Sharp