Southeast Performer: Show Review
Southeast Performer Review of a Show
Current mood: artistic
Category: Music
I thought I had posted this nice review previously---but i guess not
Enjoy
John Frank / Matt Mackelcan / Clayton Senne
The Social
Orlando, FL
May 10, 2008
The Social was rapidly filling up as Orlando-based singer/songwriter Clayton Senne hit the stage. As soon as the solo keyboardist started playing, the audience abandoned all thoughts of anything else as they stood in rapt attention seemingly afraid to miss even a single song. He started off his set with "Back To Me," an attention grabbing upbeat song with a big jazz vibe that also revealed his powerful, passionate vocals. The rest of his set was packed with his original songs, showing an obvious blues, soul and pop influence including "Mercy," "Walk Out The Door," "Cry" and "Wonderland." He also included a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," proclaiming it to be "The song that changed my life."
Winter Park-based Matt Mackelcan and his band was up next. The fourpiece band, Matt MacKelcan (vocals/guitar), Chris Floyd (lead guitar/ vocals), Marc Carusiello (bass) and Jeremy Katelenic (drums) kept up the attention-grabbing powerhouse musical theme with their southernflavored indie rock, complete with many guitar laden rock 'n' roll jams. They played several songs from his sophomore CD, No Turning Back, including "Waiting" and "Drive." They also played a new song "So Far," featuring an impressive lead guitar solo from Chris Floyd. They closed out their set with "These Days," about which MacKelcan joked "I wrote this song about John Frank. It really sums up the way I feel about him."
John Frank was up next, celebrating the release of his sophomore CD The Spaces Between. The Orlando-based singer/songwriter has a large following and The Social was packed for his party, as he explained many times during the show "I don't have a fan base, I have a mad base."
The four-piece band of John Frank (vocals/guitar/ piano), Jared Leevanus (bass),
Patrick McKinney (guitar) and Greg Hunkins (drums) played several songs from the new CD Undone, including "All The Way To New Orleans" and "Colder" with Chris Floyd and his guitar joining them on stage for the latter. They also played songs from Frank's debut CD "Anywhere But Here" including "This Town," "Jenna" and "Never Surrender" all of which turned into massive audience sing-alongs.
To the repeated chanted demands of "one more song" John Frank came back onstage and performed a rousing solo acoustic version of "Victim Of The Heart."
-Review & photo by Kat Coffin