Tyrone Wells, The Myriad & Matt Hires: Rocking the Highline Ballroom
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Tyrone Wells, The Myriad & Matt Hires at the Highline Ballroom
Chelsea is a place that works hard during the day and rocks hard at night. It contains numerous art galleries, showrooms and warehouses, but something that stands out in this area is 431 W 16th Street—the Highline Ballroom. The Highline Ballroom attracts numerous amateur entertainers. It happened that Tyrone Wells a Spokane musician from Washington State (similar to the one all Baruch College freshmen were assigned to read about in Reservation Blues) was going to stop here on his national tour. Tyrone Wells was joined by The Myriad and Matt Hires for a performance that rock’n’rolled the Highline Ballroom and all those that were there.
At first the building gave a dull appeal with its creaking wooden floors, rattling chairs and dim lighting. But Matt Hires instantly changed that once he came on stage. This “bare-footed” young musician from Tampa Bay, Florida brought a unique acoustic appeal which relaxed and enlightened the spirit. His voice was tender; his notes were smooth, his melody harmonic; and his style, simple. He performed “Out of the Dark,” “Pick Me Up” and “Honey Let Me Sing You a Song.” Listening to his music made us forget all the complexities that revolve around our daily lives, and had us submit to our freed and soaring soul.
Matt Hires left and so did his established smooth impression after The Myriad, a band from Seattle, came on stage. The Myriad brought with it a mesmerizing energy in the form of rock, pop and techno. Their songs reverberated about love, hope, doubt and heartache. Some of the songs they performed included: “A Clean Shot,” “A Thousand Winters Melting” and “Forgot What You Came For?” Instantly they had the audience stomping to their heavy use of bass and eventually had them energized and in a trance with their electric approach. They had to depart but they transfused their energy and thirst for more, anything more.
Finally came the star of the night—Tyrone Wells and his band. The audiences were already lighted up; Tyrone Wells just added fuel to the fire with his tunes. He masterfully mixed pop, rock and soul into a blend that impressively astonished. His dynamism with all kinds of strings was remarkable. Sitting in the first row, at times you just wanted to stand up and go on stage yourself and taste the rich music. (Not to mention, they actually had an audience member, a girl sitting next to me, break-dance.) Their ability to have the crowd cling on to each beat, each note, each melody, each word and each song was spectacular. He performed his self-authored songs: “Sink or Swim,” “Sea Breeze,” “Dream Like New York,” “Home to Me,” “Fools’ Parade” and “What Are We Fighting For?” He also gave his own twist to the tradition “Yodel,” the epic Cutting Crew hit “I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight” and most recent “No One,” by Alicia Keys. Despite not knowing much about rock music, or even to an extent not liking it, Tyrone Wells satisfied his fans and critics alike. He just had extraordinary talent in him.
This concert taught me something that I never conceptualized before. That is, live music sounds immensely better than listening to music on your iPod. There is such a broad difference between the two, the former being so much more superior. When you are in a concert, you are actually part of the music that you are hearing. You can see how the musician is making each sound wave perfect. You can feel the anxiety, excitement, energy and enthusiasm that runs in the veins of the music. You become one with it. What you experience at that experience can never be recreated, it will live with you. This applies to any form of art, I believe. Submitting to the soul of the art allows you to truly perceive the magic. I recommend you try it, and you’ll see what I mean. In the case of music, next time you’re at a concert, close your eyes and make your sense of hearing the primary channel of your sensation. It will show you what my first concert has shown me.
