Marveling at The Wayside

This Wednesday night we had the great honor hearing an incredibly talented musician playing at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs.  Johnny Marsi, lead guitarist and vocalist of The Wayside, along with the rest of the band, performed a diverse and lyrically inspiring set.

Enjoying a grown-up night out at Caffe Lena

I have to say, when I first considered attending this performance by The Wayside, I was immediately excited.  After all, I am a working mom, who owns her own business, has two children and a rather full schedule.  It's not every day I get out of the house after the kids go to bed, and when I do, it's normally to go grocery shopping.  So the idea of spending an entire evening with actual adults, at a cultural event.... thrilling!  And to make the prospect even more interesting, Johnny Marsi is a musician I know!  One who I have the amazing fortune of making music alongside occasionally.  (Of course, compared to Johnny's talent, you can't really call what I do to my guitar 'making music', but he never even raises an eyebrow at my missed chords and terrible timing.  This is why I was so keen to support his band as well.)  The Wayside was wonderful.

From the first song, I was hooked.  Johnny's stage presence is laid back and humorous, but when he starts to sing, the lyrics are deep and powerful.  The melodies are haunting.  His fingers move up and down the guitar neck with speed and grace, stretching to get every note out of the instrument to complement the message of the song.  The rhythms and changes within each song are intricate, and yet you find that you are humming the melodies as you leave.  Nothing The Wayside performed was in any way simple, but the music will nevertheless stay with you when you go.

The only downside of the entire evening was that The Wayside didn't have any CD's for sale.  I would have bought one.  If you can hear me fellas, get yourselves into a studio.  STAT.

Since this particular performance was acoustic, I am setting aside space on my calendar to hear the band again.  I learned while chatting with other people at the concert, that The Wayside usually performs an electric set; which adds another level of dynamics to an already spectacular sound. I want to experience them fully electric and see what else the band can bring to the table once the drummer and other musicians are given free reign.

We took a video of the band which I have posted here.  The sound quality isn't great on the recording, but keep your eyes on Johnny's hands while he manipulates the frets.  And when you get the chance, go and see The Wayside in person.  You won't be disappointed.