The philosophical concept of ontology is all about how we relate to one another as social animals on the most fundamental of levels, and the very nature of “being” itself and what it means to be in a particular time, place and/or milieu, and how these highly situated social realities are turned into reality more broadly speaking and all the unwritten rules and shared assumptions making it so or so we gather from the old Encarta CD-ROM encyclopedia entry on “ontology” and while it’s a fairly heady concept you’ll be likely to find some clarity by visiting your local head shop and/or weed dispensary (it’s modern-day, post-legalization equivalent) especially ones which hold events that have the word “ontology” right there in their name…
…or so I learned first-hand at the first installment of Harmonic Ontology the weekend before last (1/19/24) a monthly songwriter salon and public showcase held not at the Dallas highway off-ramp median where JFK met his unfortunate, much-reflected upon fate but instead at the similarly-named Bushwick emporium of herbal remedies designed to expand your mind in an altogether less destructive, healthier way known as the Grassy Noll—located on Noll Street in Bushwick, BK naturally—a show produced by singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-and-possible-mentalist Cherch (as in take me to Cherch!) whose latest project is called MEDS, a project launched with the aim not only of writing and recording righteous tunes but also with lending support to those among us who assume we’re alone and/or isolated-in-shame in struggling with mental health issues…
…and in keeping with these public-service-oriented benevolent aims, performers at Harmonic Ontology are encouraged to take a minute of two of their time on stage to speak out about a particular concern or cause or issue they wish to advocate for/raise awareness of in the name of edible-enhanced edification which is in keeping with the cozy basement-rec-roomish setting of the Grassy Noll which feels as well suited for community organizing and advocacy as it does for more prosaic rock shows and folkie strum-fests with Cherch’s hemp hootenanny functioning as a stripped-down “unplugged” style concert but also as an intimate, welcoming space for artists and assorted friends and hangers-on to mix and mingle and perform/consume music that’s of yet untested and possibly unfinished as well as older works adopted to solo performance in an open-forum type setting where the audience is almost as much a part of the show as the featured musicians…
…a show whose first installment opened with Brian LaRue (Safe Houses) introducing a deeply relatable to most New Yorkers, unreleased number called “(Every Time I See You) I’m Gonna Beat the Shit Out of You, Bro” (my best guess at the song title anyway!) a catchy little ditty comprised of various overheard threats made by an unnamed individual losing their shit on the street in front of Brian’s apartment building apparently (editor’s note: The Deli is unable to verify the veracity of the various details in this article esp. seeing as our correspondent partook of certain products on offer at the event in question) with the anti-Cyrano-de-Bergerac street-caller going on to clarify “not just the next time I see you / but every time / I know which window is yours” and the source of inspiration could’ve been Brian’s landlord for all we know esp. seeing as the cause he advocated for at Harmonic Ontology was tenants’ rights associations that demand fair, non-predatory treatment from NYC’s landed gentrifier class…
…then next up was the night’s host, namely Cherch, who performed a stirring, stripped-down version of MEDS’ latest single “30 For 30” (oh how we love the taste of our own medicine) a song said to be equally inspired by Kendrick Lamar’s “Swimming Pools” and Nine Inch Nail’s “Piggy” (btw a few months back we wrote about the band’s first single alongside an interview with Cherch introducing the new musical project) before going on to praise and thank a number of his friends in the room whom Cherch described as helping him get thru some pretty rough patches and “rescu[ing] me from actual real moments of danger” before going on to address the larger issue of men and gratitude and how these two things are too often like oil and water but really shouldn’t be…
…followed by NYC musical wunderkind Ana Becker who plays/has played with such rock ’n’ roll luminaries as Habibi (recently signed to Kill Rock Stars wuuuuut wuuuut!), Catty (a band formed thru a “band lottery”), the late great Fruit & Flowers as well as contributing guitar parts to MEDS, that is, when she’s not too busy serving as a digital design developer at the failing New York Times, who a week-ago-saturday delighted audience members with a delightful number about a lover and/or friend leaving NYC for LA (I’ll be here with the grey sky…me and my city go back a million times as long as me and you”) and truly what true-blue New Yawker hasn’t made a similar “city amenities before bro ho’s” call before ammirite…
…next followed by Rose Blanshei who performed an unreleased song presumably called “You’re A (Bloodsucking) Bitch” based on the recurrence of that phrase in the lyrics but whether Rose was extolling her subjects’ vices and/or virtues it all came off as transcendent if not outright transcendental thanks to the raw power of those vocal cords and accompanying guitar chords and while Rose’s IG byline states that hi I’m the “out of control noise rock DIY artist” according to The Deli Magazine circa 2015 we must admit Rose appeared totally in control of her facilities the night we saw her perform and really would Bruce Springsteen let an out-of-control-noise-rock-DIY-artist back him up on bass when covering a Commodores’ cover on The Tonight Show well ok maybe he would cuz Bruce is a boss like that…
…with the night’s entertainment fittingly concluding with “Mr. Wild Ride” himself, singer-songwriter-keyboardist extraordinaire Sean Spada who treated the assembled crowd to a couple well-known standards and a couple unreleased numbers that’re no doubt destined for Sean’s next LP, EP or flexi-disc single inserted into the latest issues of GQ X Pitchfork, in a setting perfectly suited to his smooth as Leisure Suit Larry alt-lounge nothing but a piano and a voice punky-jazzy-guerrilla-cabaret party…
…and if I hadn’t been eight miles high already you may’ve found me sobbing into my dry martini over all the “set up to self destruct” hapless romantics populating S. Spada’s songs and maybe woulda become one of them myself (editor’s note: wait, not there already?) tragic-comically passing out and taking a swizzle-stick to the eyeball so thank to the Grassy Noll’s fast-acting gummy goodies that didn’t happen and regarding Sean’s new stuff it’s pretty great, we got sneak peaks of mini-masterpieces-in-the-making about cruise ships and cult leaders and regrettable exercise regimes put across with the pianist’s usual aplomb, charming reparteé and nimble fingers…
The Grassy Noll
…and hey if you’re not content to hold out until episode 2 of Harmonic Ontology to be held on Friday, Feb. 16 where you’ll witness the likes of Jamie Frey (Nite Music, No Ice), Chris Urriola (The Bottom Dollors, Hollis Brown), Mike Borchardt (Nihiloceros), Melody Henry (Phantom Signals), and Mike Cicchetti offering their off-the-cuff hot takes and even hotter stripped-down musical takes in an intimate THC-infused setting then by all means you’re encouraged to sleepwalk on over to the cocktail bar known as Sleepwalk *tonight* as MEDS and Nite Music take the stage for a little sneak preview of future ontological explorations…
art by Jamie Frey