After the performances from supporting acts Vintage Pistol and DeeOhGee, Kendall Street Company took the stage at the Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY just after 10:15pm on a cool night. On tour for their new album, The Year the Earth Stood Still: Ninurta, the Virginia-based band quickly warmed up the crowd with their signature banger, "Laura, I’m Sorry About the Cobbler." Guitarist Louis Smith sported a hollow body guitar instead of his usual acoustic. During this tune, the cobbler entered the boysenberry jam which was a wonderfully spacey start to the night.
Next, the band performed their new single, "Say Hey!" with bassist Brian Roy on lead vocals. Brian’s vocal effects, paired with his blue southeast Asian tunic, led the band into a grungy jam exemplifying their extreme versatility. After "Say Hey!" Louis dawned his acoustic guitar and softly brought the crowd into the Beatles cover, "Rocky Racoon." As exhibited by their 2020 album, Nautical Aquatical, Kendall Street Company is very acquainted with animal themed jammery. As the cover progressed the rest of the band joined in on a funky back beat and then into their signature jazz-grass tone with spacey toms and keys thanks to the very talented Ryan Wood and Jake Vanaman.
Proceeding this exceptional jam was their unreleased song, "I Can’t Wait to Step Inside Your Door", which consisted of fun upbeat jams, such as guitarist Ben Laderberg shredding through Latin scale solos. "Space For Days" followed, which kept the night’s energy going into the musical bowling alley. The deep jams progressed in this song as the tempo was driven up by Brian’s jazzy bass walks. On a dime, Kendall Street jumped into a newly practiced Sublime cover, "Garden Grove", which kept the crowd beeping and bopping with the tasty reggae groove. The band teased "Scarlet Begonias" before masterfully bringing it back to "Space for Days."
"Lady in Green," was next on the set list. This song was apropos for the newly welcomed cool fall weather with it’s cool breezy vibes. "Expiration Date" picked up the crowd’s energy with it’s audience participation in the “Brook-Lyn-Bowl” chant jam. This song segued into "Aged White Cheddar," whose melty jam consisted of impressive vocals by Louis and dense pocket of bass finger picking and jazzy bass drums.
To cool down from the intense jam, the band took the audience to the beach with their song "Board Shorts," which included surfing on jammy waves with Jake on sax.To keep things on this oceanic theme, the band showed off their excellent story telling skills with a rendition of their unreleased tune, "Crab Surprise." To close the set, Jake punched into the jazzy pop cover, "Jubel" by Klingande, which included a mashup of Modest Mouse’s "Float On", and Rusted Root’s "Send Me On My Way."
After cheers for an encore by the fired up crowd, Louis Smith stepped back on stage alone to tune his guitar with the help of hums from the audience. Utilizing a soft acoustic intro, Louis began the encore with "Cars," as each member of the band returned to the stage one at a time. The band picked up pace through the song, and ended this Thursday night party at the Brooklyn Bowl with the beloved "Tequila."
Kendall Street Company certainly brought the heat to Brooklyn, NY, and have more dates on their fall tour. Visit their website for more details.
Setlist
Laura, I’m Sorry About the Cobbler, Say Hey!, Rocky Racoon1, I Can't Wait to Step Inside Your Door2, Space For Days > Garden Grove34 > Space For Days, Lady in Green, Expiration Date > Aged White Cheddar, Board Shorts > Crab Surprise2 > Jubel5 > Float On6 > Send Me On My Way7
Encore
Cars > Tequila8
Notes
1. Beatles cover
2. unreleased
3. Sublime cover
4. Scarlet Begonias tease
5. Klingande cover
6. Modest Mouse cover
7. Rusted Root cover
8. The Champs cover
