By Garrett Frierson
Contributing Writer

For anyone on the search for up and coming talent, the show at Gallery 263 in Cambridge last Thursday night was a goldmine. The small venue allowed for an intimate show while rain fell just outside.

The Tales started the night with some feel good rock, reflecting on past loves and life with three part harmonies and classic guitar sounds over the rhythms of surf and soul. The band shows a knack for songwriting in the vein of the Beatles, letting songs tell their stories without clutter. Lead singer Andrew Burri sang with conviction, backed by drummer Machael Haziza and lead guitarist David Brandwine, both of whom also sang several songs. Grooving steady, bassist Taylor Shell let his shoulders keep the tempo. Contained in such a small place, they swayed the crowd with charisma, letting their melodies flow over the art and into the assembled crowd.

The pace slowed as Michigan natives Daisy May and Seth Bernard took center stage, singing tales of life in America’s heartland. Between songs they told the crowd the stories behind songs as they re-tuned their instruments. Seth Bernard’s guitar was from the 1920s, and he explained that they both played older instruments that, though requiring more upkeep, came with a history that shown through in the music. Daisy’s voice followed the hilly roads their travels follow, pulling the heart of soul into their all acoustic set.

Taking a jazzier turn, Margaret Glaspy serenaded the crowd with a smoky voice drifting somewhere between Regina Spektor and Kate Nash. The music, jazz-turned-Americana complete with a banjo played by Ben Krakafur, was tight and fit complex grooves unexpectedly under Glaspy’s nylon guitar strumming. Vishal Nayak and Josh Hari blended drums and bass into a single force that carried the room till the end of the night.

For more on these bands, visit:
www.myspace.com/thetalesmusic
www.myspace.com/daisymayandsethbernard
www.myspace.com/margaretglaspy