La Strada @ Dam, Stuhltrager Gallery, Summber Backyard Series
Bookending the Northside Festival
The dark wooden floor of Public Assembly in Williamsburg, Brooklyn creaked as a patron quietly requested another drink from the bartender, whose gaze had been fixed upon the stage filled with six musicians. The bartender turned, quickly procured a can of an unknown beer, placed it on top of the bar then folded his arms as the patron returned to the mass of onlookers watching the curly haired singer of La Strada croon into the mic, pushing and pulling apart the pleated bellows of an accordion.
The backing string section converted the cavernous room into a Midwestern prairie, adorning it with an imagined verdant veneer of an old American era when people gathered to listen to stories of heartbreak and loss. Then, when it was over, the smiling audience quietly shuffled away and the band returned the instruments to their silent casings.
This quintet (and sometimes septet) of pan-American musicians was the fitting bookend for the Northside Festival – a celebration of music and art held at manifold venues throughout Greenpoint and Williamsburg back in June to showcase the culturally diverse influences seen and heard in these neighborhoods.
La Strada, which means “the road” in Italian, is an appropriate name for a band whose members had come together from different regions of America to this plot of land on the north end of Brooklyn. By way of friends and Craigslist, the band joined piecemeal throughout the two years of its existence from California, Vermont, Kentucky, and New York to make an infused amalgamation of music influenced by Americana folk and European ‘60s pop.
Lead singer and the man behind the accordion, James Craft explained the evolution of La Strada’s sound, saying, “I spent a lot of time in Europe so I had that coming at me. It was an amazing and satisfying direction to take for me.” Being in close proximity to some of Europe’s more traditional music influenced Craft to learn and play his instrument. Joined by bassist, Devon Press, guitarist, Ted Lattis, violinist, Daniel Baer, and drummer, Brady Miller, the band has issued a catalogue of music that is both clear and profound.
When asked how the band had adopted its name, Craft says, “We spent a lot of good time working on the name. We watched a lot of Fellini’s films together and it seemed that the names had these nice open-ended sounds. Then we watched La Strada. It was a really good movie so why not go for this? For me, the name was so symbolic but it was so clear and simple.”
La Strada has been on the move throughout the States and receiving approbation from audiences that tend to be fickle about bands they’ve never heard of. But music that flows with honesty, passion, and technical skill can fortify the unseen aura of a group of musicians as well versed in their own language as these guys are.
This past Februrary, the band released its debut E.P. – a collection of six songs meticulously crafted by all members of the band and what it delivered was a supple beginning of the road less traveled by most people – the exhibition of one’s own declaration of willful expression.
La Strada’s self titled debut E.P.
The band’s style is en vogue at the moment, with bands like Gogol Bordello, Devotchka, and Beirut; however La Strada’s distinct sound is represented by their self-titled E.P. - a blend of cinematic imagery, folk melody, and crisp songwriting that is meant to include the listener on the band’s emotional history.
Songs like, “Flying”, “Starling”, and “Mama” indicate a unit of musicians that regard story telling and composition as equal components for rich songwriting. “Orphan”, for example, exhibits sensitivity to both American and European influences. Miller’s thunderous drums are strong and prevalent and Craft sings reassuring words to enhance the bold theme that the song portrays.
One of the albums best moments is illustrated in “Mama” – a heart rending song that begins with one long note on the accordion, which is soon accompanied by Lattis’ mournful guitar, and backing vocals. A nostalgic melody is played on a toy piano to let the listener in on a message sung by Craft to his mother who passed away when he was a young boy. The song ends with a lasting note on the accordion to bring it back to the beginning, like a closed book, and is met with the opening notes of “Starling” – perhaps the strongest song on the E.P.
“Starling”, in contrast to “Mama” is a greeting to a newly realized experience – the cinematic closure of this compilation of music. It is both elegant and complex in its composition but does not saunter off into intangible territory. Although the lyrics on La Strada’s E.P. aren’t fancy in a contrived kind of way, they are poignant and deliver a response to the strife and hope of the human condition.
From the Northside Festival to some of the band’s favorite clubs in Chicago, La Strada performs for its audiences a new kind of folk music that is both existential as it is engaging. The group currently has plans to release its first full length album in the next five to six months.
La Strada’s Performance Dates
07/10 New York, NY @ Webster Hall w/the Subjects
07/16 Charlottesville, VA @ Tea Bazaar
07/17 Norfolk, VA @ The Boot
07/18 Washington, D.C. @ IOTA
