PHOTOS: Bayside acoustic show at Gallery of Sound in Wilkes-Barre, 08/22/16
Currently on tour with Scranton’s The Menzingers, Bayside stopped in their tourmates’ hometown area to play a free acoustic release show for their new album, “Vacancy,” at the Gallery of Sound in Wilkes-Barre on Monday, Aug. 22.
Performing stripped down versions of “The Ghost,” “Mary,” and “Pretty Vacant” from that record, which was released on CD and a limited edition yellow and white vinyl just three days before, along with “Devotion and Desire” from their 2005 self-titled album, the New York City punk rock band then sat down to meet fans and sign autographs on the small stage in the corner of the record store.
Speaking about “Vacancy” before Bayside’s national tour with The Menzingers and Sorority Noise kicked off on Aug. 11, singer/guitarist Anthony Raneri talked about how these new songs tell the story of the breakup of his marriage and being alone and how the band developed their sound on the album with producer Tim O’Heir.
“There’s always been a tinge of show tunes in Bayside’s music,” Raneri noted. “Our music has always been whimsical; it’s never followed the verse, chorus, bridge format. We often have several key changes and odd time structures, lots of things you only really hear in musicals and where, in the past, we’d have a pop guy help us reel that in, Tim, who was nominated for a Tony for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch,’ was someone who got the weird shit we do and has an affinity for the dramatic, whimsical side of the band.”
Read our full review and see photos from The Menzingers’ recent show in Scranton here and watch exclusive videos from that show here.
Brittany Fortuna Boote is a resident of NEPA who started in front of the camera as a model and actress before photographing regional skateboard and music scenes, leading her to pursue her true passion as a photographer.