It’s always a pleasure to see the smiling faces of Gary Levitt, Erica Quitzow, and their musical projects Setting Sun and Quitzow, respectively. While the members of the two bands are identical, their sounds couldn’t be more different. Setting Sun played an upbeat indie rock set defined by the mellow, 90s style lo-fi vocals of front man Levitt. Quitzow, on the other hand, fronted by Erica, performed a catchy and dance friendly electronic pop set.
Some technical problems led to the nixing of Quitzow’s usual samples, but it was great to see the musicians react to the problem and pull off a fun and energetic set despite the small setback. The lead vocals in the beginning of the set were a bit shaky, but within two songs smoothed out to display Erica’s sweet pipes. Providing rich cello melodies was Topu Lyo, who was very often mesmerizing in his playing. Both bands will play this year’s CMJ Music Marathon before heading over to Europe for a tour in November.
Pulling triple duty that night were Lyo and drummer Dylan Wissing, both of whom are in Brooklyn four piece Skidmore Fountain. Fronted by the lovely Randy Bergida, Skidmore Fountain played a slick set of polished, rock-tinged dance songs. The band had a great stage presence and an energy that was infectious. Piano’s was packed by this time and the audience was grooving along with Wissing’s beats and mimicking Bergida’s words.
I was just as impressed with Lyo’s cellist skills throughout the Skidmore set, but I was equally impressed with the musicianship from the rest of the band. Each of the four musicians on stage shone through wonderfully without overpowering each other or aurally dominating the room. Skidmore Fountain no doubt has a bright future ahead. They put on a fun and tight set that you have to see/hear for yourself. Really.
Setting Sun: website | myspace | Children of the Wild review | apr 08 | jun 08
Quitzow: myspace | Art College review | live
Skidmore Fountain: website | myspace
Quitzow/Levitt Photo: Amber S. Clark
