By Jackson Connor
Northeastern bands Plastic Reverie and Eroica took the stage in front of more than 50 students Tuesday during a free show hosted by afterHOURS. Veteran folk rockers Cassavettes, made up of one Northeastern alumnus and three of his friends from his hometown in Texas, headlined the event.
Although all three bands had played together prior to Tuesday’s show, an ample amount of new material kept the crowd interested.
Plastic Reverie set the tone for the night with a chorus of three-part harmonies, sung over mid-tempo rock songs.
“We’re influenced by everything from classical music to Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre,” said Marc Pellegrino, the band’s lead singer who also plays keyboard and guitar.
Pellegrino’s vocals dove in and out of falsetto while the band churned out rock riffs reminiscent of Led Zeppelin. The crowd’s anticipation grew for the acts to follow as the band plowed through its 45-minute set comprised of songs off its EP “Crooked Spine,” released in June.
Eroica is a band of few words. With the exception of a brief introduction and a quick farewell after they played, given by bassist Zivi Krieger, the instrumental group did not utter a word for the entirety of their set. Each instrumental song fluidly led into the next, leaving little time for applause and less for onstage banter.
Eroica kept fans alert with complex time signatures and leaps from their bass cabinets and amplifiers. Krieger, along with guitarist Ben Gram, ran a light show in time with their music by using a series of footswitches, adding to the show’s ambience.
Sophomore music industry major Chris Piccaro, who saw Eroica for the first time, said he was impressed by their technical ability but believes vocals would help draw a larger crowd.
“They play long instrumental epics,” Piccaro said of the band’s sound.
Krieger said the band did not intend on playing the style that it is known for playing today. However, with a name like Eroica (meaning heroic in Latin and also the name of Beethoven’s third symphony), he said it is hard not to write songs that sound like epic movements.
The afterHOURS crowd peaked during Eroica’s set.
“They were the draw tonight,” said middler music industry major Josh Boss.
Boss said he credits the turn out to the amount of new material Eroica showcased during their timeslot, as well as the fan base they have acquired during their two-year career on campus.
Headliner Cassavettes are not strangers to afterHOURS. The band members joked back and forth about the Curry Student Center, as well as their disdain of the Los Angeles Lakers, who beat their favorite team, the Dallas Mavericks, that night.
Led by dual vocalists Mike McCullagh and Glenn Yoder, Cassavettes blended an array of genres to form radio friendly pop rock. Also in the band are bassist Scott Jones and drummer Matt Snow.
“They draw people who enjoy a lot of different styles of music,” said sophomore linguistics major Tina Campbell.
Although Plastic Reverie, Eroica and Cassavettes only play afterHOURS a handful of times each year, they said they are working to schedule more shows in the Boston area.
