Court Tavern is a bar in New Brunswick that was actually closed for a while, but now they are reopening and coming back with a vengeance. They’re big on the local music scene, so this is definitely a spot for music lovers to frequent during the year. Court Tavern’s debut show this past August definitely started the year off with a bang.
They call it “ZORZI FEST 2013.” The mini-festival put together by Joe Zorzi, lead singer of the headlining band, featured 8 electric bands and 8 acoustic bands, all with their individual sound and infectious stage presence. Every band was better than the last and the whole show was a spectacular success.
This was the local New Brunswick band House of Thieves’ first show together in years and you could tell they just had a great time on stage. It was more or less a live jam session and the amount of fun they had was contagious. They even threw in some screaming here and there that was very well executed. Overall it was a great start to the night and incredibly fun to watch.
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Act II of the show started off with Zorzi’s sister, Amanda Zorzi. She did an acoustic set that was out of this world. First off, her voice is beautiful and her guitar playing is the kind of smooth and groovy sound you want to chill out on the beach to. She started with a cover of Backstreet Boys, played a few original songs, and then blew everyone’s minds with a cover of “Crazy Train” that you didn’t even recognize until the chorus.
After her, IOU (Inside Our Universe) took the stage downstairs. Two words: Stage presence. These guys have it. This hip-hop band with blues and rock roots that knows how to have a good time and get the audience involved could find a place in Top 40 music any day.
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The show also featured France, a great band whose music can be described as The Black Keys meets The White Stripes meets FUN.
Finally, Modern Chemistry, the band of Joe Zorzi himself, headlined the show. This band got the crowd to go crazy with their mix of The All-American Rejects, Bayside, and Saosin with a 2013-style twist sound. Hard metal music, intense and skilled vocals, and fast paced, rock-your-body drumming all came together in a cacophony of awesome sound that made a small, chilled-out crowd grow into a frenzy. Mixed into all of that were these great little guitar riffs; the kind that reach out to the veins and make you feel like you’re in the music. Not to mention, their choruses were pretty catchy. What a way to end a show!
Zorzi Fest was a great way to open up Court Tavern’s new year and hopefully they will be hosting another one next year. Be on the lookout for upcoming shows featuring local bands and more!