Writer: Robert Gonzales
Photos: Frankie Cavone

Welcome to the Hallway of Precedents. What an amazing concept… What an amazing night! Mirth Films and the Palace Theatre have teamed up to provide the Capital Region an opportunity to experience original live local music from some of the best artists performing, and they are doing it for free. Yeah, that’s right! For FREE!!!

What a way to set the precedent of highlighting local artists than to start with The E-Block. The E-Block is an incredible band with an R&B funky backbeat, provided by Daniel Folds on bass and Roy Dalton on drums. Aaron Shields was sitting in on drums on Roy’s behalf for this show. Their sound is accentuated with sultry sweetness by Devin Tetlak on keys and James Soren on sax. On top of all of this goodness is Luke Pascarella providing his lyrics with a laid back suaveness that builds into a crescendo worthy of a diva! This guy has the best scream in the business. It’s like Prince met Etta James while listening to Whitney Houston jam to James Brown. Either way, if you ever have the pleasure of witnessing this phenomenal act, one thing you will know for sure is Luke feels it when he’s singing it. He makes the whole room feel it!

The audience filled the available area. It was packed, but not too crowded. There was a buzz in the air for this free show. “Who are these guys?” “Have you heard of them before?” “Someone told me I should definitely come to this.” “This is my first time seeing them!” There were parents there with their children, elders, young adults, older adults, a wonderful mix of all races and creeds. This is typical of an E-Block show. I have been checking out The E-Block ever since I saw them last year with Fungkshui at the Lark Hall. People talk about over saturation with local acts. There’s this idea that if a local band plays too many times in a short span of time, that no one will come out to their show. I have seen The E-Block multiple times recently, but every time, the audience has been completely different.

The E-Block doesn’t just attract one type of audience. They are unique in that they can attract multiple types of people; EVERY type of person! Their music has broad appeal. They kind of play across multiple genres to multiple generations. They play to your heart. They play to your soul. So, if you can feel music, you can love The E-Block too! Luke, the front man, asks the audience how many of us are hearing them for the first time. 85%-90% of the room raises their hands. Every show that I have seen recently this was asked, and the same response applied. As they build their fan group, join their social media sites. Find out when and where they are performing. Let them know how much you appreciate their craft, and take their journey with them,

Every now and then you come across a band who already sounds like they are on the radio. You hear them and can see them reaching national status and national attention. They may be just starting to hit their stride, but these guys are something to pay attention to, just so we can reflect on knowing them when they were first starting out. 2024 is gonna be one heck of a year for these guys, and they deserve everything that is coming to them and everything that will unfold before them to reach all their goals. And I can guarantee you one thing: if you walk to the waves their rhythm creates, John Travolta, himself, would be wondering how you found a strut so smooth!

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