Berkeley CA
PANTHELION sailed up to the Starry Plough in Berkeley and we were welcomed with a very warm & homey reception from Berkeley local music goers. After our little theatre run in LA the weekend prior it was a nice change of pace for us to be in a relaxed down home pub –style venue with a serious taste for music. I love the beauty of slipping off stage and back into the audience to enjoy a drink with your people after the set. Berkeley was a fun filled & relaxed night of great music and righteous energy.
We were invited to play that night at the Plough by cellist LEWIS PAZTNER (JUDGEMENT DAY) in support of the debut performance by his new project “So” I was really excited about the night because I am a big fan of Lewis as well as JUDGEMENT DAY. Naturally I was honored & stoked to bring PANTHELION as part of the night’s lineup. SO killed! Very interesting mix of modern jazz, classical and funk/rock attitude. I hadn’t got a chance to see the Patzner brothers since the 2009 Sub Zero Festival in San Jose where both PANTHELION & JUDGEMENT DAY were performing. It was interesting catching up with violinist ANTON (Judgement Day) and hearing about the new record the guys are working on for the spring, as well as the trials & tribulations of keeping it all going and moving forward as an independent artist. Keep your ears out for that new JUDGEMENT DAY record, it sounds like it’s going to be a good one!
We were particularly impressed with the audience that night and their openness and willingness to listen. We were blown away during our set that we were gifted with total & undivided attention from the audience. Not a sound to be heard off stage. You are used to those types of clubs just being filled with sonic madness and crazy side conversations galore but somehow Lewis and the SO clique pulled out some cool people to the Plough.
Speaking of cool people, Berkeley was a great learning experience for me too. I had a nice chat with this young lady who told me all about her work at local Berkeley café Freight & Salvage where they specialize in providing a space for the preservation of traditional music. At first I had no idea what she was talking about of course, but she was so matter of fact about the spot that I just had to play along thinking it was probably some uber trendy eco-recycler for green sustainability & redevelopment that if I hadn’t heard of the infamous “freight & salvage” I would be promptly escorted out of the club and asked to never ever return within Berkeley city limits. But as it turns out, yeah, she was nice & cool enough to clue me in on my ignorance and hip me to a really cool spot that supports the arts in a unique way. I would love & encourage others to check it out as well. Berkeley is all right; they got cool stuff, and cool people. I can’t wait to go back ;) Thanks for being awesome and kind to us in BearTown!!
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