This last weekend has been hard on the joints. The proper week wasn't exactly a cakewalk either. So you'll understand when I say I was sort of relieved to see that this week's Songwriter show case was going to be a more acoustic based show. Three gentlemen with only their ovations as bandmates. Billy Alpha, Brendan James, and Niall Connolly.
Billy Alpha was first to take the stage. You'll recognize him as the lead singer of WJ and the Sweet Sacrifice. The band's frontman plays alone tonight. His emotive voice haunts somewhere between rock/blues and country. Hudson City Summer does a great job of expressing this. There's something intrinsically nostalgic about his style of songwriting. A hearkening to the greats of the past if you will I can't quite put my finger on it though, could be the reason it works so well!
Brendan James, Played a few weeks back. His singing style is more like Chris Isaac his subject matter is closer to the Misfits. It's a crazy intersect that actually works rather brilliantly. He stepped up for a few covers. Modern English's I'll Melt with You, Radiohead's High and Dry and Lonesome Town by Ricky Nelson. It was great to hear some songs I could sing a long to.
Naill Connoly is a regular at the Songwriter's Showcase, In the last two years I'm been checkin this out He's been here about six or so times. He's got a really great folk sound. It seems like he's really taken to Jersey City since his first visit here. The locals make sure to come out to see him. He even wrote a song about Jersey City called 99 cent Dreams involving an imaginary tale of a store clerk. Its a pretty clever little number. He's put out somet 3-5 albums now. He used Lucky 7 Tavern as his launch pad before hoping over the Atlantic for a european tour. What's he sound like? Well, he's Irish but he doesn't do the standard irish folk song thing. He's not a punk rocker either. Just pure original songwriting, from a well traveled man. It's a time tested formula that works pretty well. It worked for Johnny, it work for Merle, it certainly looks to be working for Niall.
This last weekend has been hard on the joints. The proper week wasn't exactly a cakewalk either. So you'll understand when I say I was sort of relieved to see that this week's Songwriter show case was going to be a more acoustic based show. Three gentlemen with only their ovations as bandmates. Billy Alpha, Brendan James, and Niall Connolly.
Billy Alpha was first to take the stage. You'll recognize him as the lead singer of WJ and the Sweet Sacrifice. The band's frontman plays alone tonight. His emotive voice haunts somewhere between rock/blues and country. Hudson City Summer does a great job of expressing this. There's something intrinsically nostalgic about his style of songwriting. A hearkening to the greats of the past if you will I can't quite put my finger on it though, could be the reason it works so well!
Brendan James, Played a few weeks back. His singing style is more like Chris Isaac his subject matter is closer to the Misfits. It's a crazy intersect that actually works rather brilliantly. He stepped up for a few covers. Modern English's I'll Melt with You, Radiohead's High and Dry and Lonesome Town by Ricky Nelson. It was great to hear some songs I could sing a long to. 
Naill Connoly is a regular at the Songwriter's Showcase, In the last two years I'm been checkin this out He's been here about six or so times. He's got a really great folk sound. It seems like he's really taken to Jersey City since his first visit here. The locals make sure to come out to see him. He even wrote a song about Jersey City called 99 cent Dreams involving an imaginary tale of a store clerk. Its a pretty clever little number. He's put out somet 3-5 albums now. He used Lucky 7 Tavern as his launch pad before hoping over the Atlantic for a european tour. What's he sound like? Well, he's Irish but he doesn't do the standard irish folk song thing. He's not a punk rocker either. Just pure original songwriting, from a well traveled man. It's a time tested formula that works pretty well. It worked for Johnny, it work for Merle, it certainly looks to be working for Niall.
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