Brian Slattery Photos
Lucy's Neighbor.
Three New Haven-based bands took the stage at Cafe Nine on the corner of State and Crown Tuesday night to share new songs, try out new ideas, and ease into the kind of playing musicians can do when they have a common history and chemistry.
Singer-songwriter Sarah Dunn performed first, accompanied by Kelly Kancyr on cajon and backing vocals. Dunn and Kancyr make up two-thirds of the punk band Corpse Flower, and the camaraderie between the two musicians prevailed through the change in genre, as Dunn played guitar and sang a set of mostly originals, heartfelt and raw, about heartbreak, disappointment, and moving on. In between songs, Dunn proved an animated stage presence. She began by thanking headliners Lucy’s Neighbor for asking her to join the bill. “I felt like the junior high nerd girl who was invited to the cool party,” she said.
She also used the breaks between songs to leaven the disarming honesty of the songs with self-awareness. “I like to write songs when I’m sad, and here’s one of them,” she said with energy in her voice. Later, in announcing that she had a full-length album on the way, she added, “if you like sad white girl music now, maybe you’ll also like it in a few months!” Finally, in introducing her song “Let Her Go,” she explained that first “I thought this song was about my former marriage. Then I thought it was about my mother. Then I realized it was about me.” That was when she noted wryly that she was a clinical psychologist.
“You’re just trolling for work,” an audience member said. Everyone laughed.
Zoo Front — Ed Ekendu on vocals and guitar, Nancy Tatspaugh on vocals and guitar, Ju Dee Luna on bass, and Lisa Tonner on drums — then set up and came out sparkling.
“Hey, we’re Zoo Front!” Tatspaugh declared, receiving cheers. “Hey! We’re really excited to be on this stage.”
The band proceeded to play a set of quirky rock originals with an easy amiability that made the sly complexity of many of the songs seem simple. As the three vocalists swapped lead duties, Tonner’s textured drums and Luna’s pulsing bass kept the songs rolling. Tatspaugh provided solid rhythms and sharp riffs while Ekendu took stately, elegant leads that were never overly flashy and put every note right where it should be.
In between songs, Tatspaugh and Ekendu traded banter like they traded off-kilter guitar lines. “This is our third gig in four days,” Tatspaugh said. “I think it’s working in our favor.” Then she said, “hope I didn’t just curse it.”
“I can barely pick up the paper right now,” Ekendu added. Whether he was joking or not, or actually missing what has been a rather momentous news cycle, in that moment didn’t matter. Zoo Front had come to Cafe Nine to have fun, and they did.
Lucy’s Neighbor — Derek DiFronzo on vocals and guitar, Dave Esposito on lead guitar, Ed Flynn on bass, and Tom Quagliano on drums — kept the energy going with a set of power-pop originals that felt polished enough to take on the road. The band tore out of the gate with charging drums, fat bass, churning guitar, and resonant vocals that moved and breathed as one unit. Lucy’s Neighbor nearly dispensed with banter altogether, letting the songs and their energy speak for themselves. The audience hung around, eager to hear more. Near the end of the set, DiFranzo explained that the next song was called “Wolf Man,” and the lyrics of the song delivered on that premise. When the song was over, the audience broke into spontaneous howling.