A dark, bitter cold night on campus was illuminated by an early sunrise on Saturday when Fairfield’s own Arising Son took the stage in the Dolan chapel. It was a pleasant experience for all in attendance amidst the majestic chapel, as they played an hour long set in front of a crowd of roughly forty people
Arising Son is an acoustic rock band consisting of Bradley Martocello ’07, on vocals and guitar; Patrick Ginnetty ’07, also on vocals and guitar; and Jimmy Pagliaro ’07, on drums. Ginnetty and Martocello have been playing together since last spring while Pagliaro is a recent addition. They have played on campus in the past but this was their first time headlining an event.
The band started their set with the lively “Doomed to Greatness,” and kept the energy level high going through the first three selections. Martocello and Ginnetty share the lead vocal responsibilities. The former was singing during these first few songs while Pagliaro was keeping a solid pace and Ginnetty adding his two cents here and there with his guitar.
After the initial wave of energy the band gave the crowd a moment to rest and reflect on the emotional lyrics of some of their more mellow selections.
A highlight from this point of the set would be a fan favorite from their older repertoire entitled “Red Hearts Turning Blue.” The crowd got the opportunity to move again as the energy wave surged upward with the final songs including an inspired “Fall With You.” The show left the unexpectedly large crowd abuzz as they left the stage to a light show engineered by Dolan Resident Assistant Kevin Donohue.
Each member of the band played his part very well allowing the band to come together as a unit. Both Ginnetty and Martocello played unique melodies on their amped acoustic guitars and threw in a quick solo here and there as well. They each have a distinct voice when they take turns singing as Martocello has a soothingly course sound next to Ginnetty’s more melodic tone. Pagliaro kept the songs tight with his drums which is a considerable task considering the fact that he only joined the band a few weeks prior.
All the members of the band were excited with how the night went. “Everyone played well. We seemed to click up there. For our first show I thought it was great,” Pagliaro said.
Ginnetty seconded Pagliaro’s favorable review commenting on the crowd turn out, “We would have been happy with about fifteen people and there was about forty so it definitely exceeded our expectations,” said Ginnetty.
Aside from the music the band engaged the attentions of the crowd with some on-stage antics, including Pagliaro’s Springsteen-esque outfit of a cut-off shirt and bandana.
He also amused the crowd when, after being absent for a few songs, he came running from the back of the room through the crowd and performed a leaping slip and slide maneuver across the stage towards his drum set.
The two guitarists showed off a few dance moves, which indicated their passion for what they were playing. Martocello believes that if a band is enjoying themselves onstage it can trickle down into the crowd. “We pretty much had a great time up there and the crowd had a good time along with us,” he said.
Ginnetty and Martocello contribute much of their ability to have a good time to the addition of drums to the band. “The music has gotten a lot more energetic which allows us to do more things and be more confident,” Martocello said. They are currently seeking a bassist to further improve their sound.
The brains behind the show was Donohue, who planned the event for a social program in the building. He felt a concert would be “an exciting way to start out the semester.”
“I thought the band was great and the crowd definitely seemed to enjoy themselves,” Donohue said.
With the help of the Dolan Residence Hall Coordinator, Sean Dowd, Donohue was able to secure the chapel as the venue for the performance. It was an incredibly unique and inspiring place to see a show which certainly enhanced the music with its balcony and overall vibe of antiquity.
Arising Son is now looking to polish their material and is actively seeking more shows in the future. Ginnetty mentioned his desire to have a benefit somewhere on campus, where the band plans to distribute a three-song demo CD.
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