With this post, my blog comes full-circle, in a way. One of my very first posts ever was the Eleven Pond LP Bas Relief. That monster rarity contained some perfectly written synthpop and darkwave gems, and as the mp3s were distributed more and more, and as the record began to flirt with $500+ prices on eBay, the demand for a reissue was unrelenting. The album eventually became the inaugural release on the highly respectable Dark Entries label, and is well on its way to selling out multiple pressings.
Jeff Gallea, bassist and principle songwriter of the group, had continued to dabble in music throughout the couple decades since that record was released, and the idea of an Eleven Pond reunion show appealed to him as much as it did to everyone who ever heard the record. What was initially supposed to be a low-key solo show in Brooklyn with Jeff performing Eleven Pond songs soon morphed into a long-awaited reunion between him and singer/guitarist James Tabbi that culminated in a one-off performance on February 16. The duo had not seen each other (let alone performed together!) for almost 24 years. But when they took the stage after just one rehearsal with Abby Echiverri from Dream Affair and Barrett Hiatt from Revel Hotel on synths/violin and electronic drums respectively, it sounded as if they had never ceased being a band.
They barreled through 8 songs, including a couple covers and new/unreleased tracks. The sold-out crowd danced to every beat without stopping. The band was tight, energetic, and the mutual excitement shared by the crowd and band was palpable. Everyone in the audience left the show elated.
Jeff recorded the entire show on a small tape recorder – while the sound occasionally clips a little bit on a few songs, it’s a surprisingly good recording (Jeff's bass especially stands out). He posted most of the show to listen or download on the Eleven Pond soundcloud page. I’ve also consolidated the entire show for your listening pleasure below.
Check out a video of Tear & Cinnamon here:
I took photos of the show, including openers Plastic Flowers and Frank (Just Frank); you can find them all here.
Eleven Pond
Reunion Show @ Glasslands
Tear and Cinnamon
Moving Forward
Dancing Barefoot
Asterisk
Slut
Sitting on Chairs
Watching Trees
Portugal
Posts
3 comments:
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WOW. Thank you Phil ! Great review. Yes, that show took us full circle... from you discovering a dusty old copy of 'Bas Relief' in the dollar discount record bin... to your blog... to the Josh Cheon/Dark Entries reissue... to the sold out reunion show @ Glasslands... to the band now reforming and playing new songs with new members... I could NOT have pulled this off without your initial spark.
Eternally grateful
-Jeff Gallea
Good article, read with great interest.
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