by Adeoluwa Atayero
To say that the release party for Regina’s very own rock band, Dead Levee, was impeccable would be putting things lightly. The release party for their latest record, Rise Up, took place on April 22 at Revival Music Room with performances by Brayden King, The Radiant, and The Hourhand. All the acts were truly show stoppers but the real star of the night would have to be sound engineer at Revival Music Room. The sound was so clear and crisp that it elevated the production and experience of the musical acts by eons. For many people, this was the first live concert they had attended in a long time and boy oh boy was it worth their wait. Brayden King’s jovial aura kicked off the night with an astonishing array of songs blessed with dazzling crowd engagement. He started the night on a very high enough and thankfully the following acts kept the momentum going. The Radiant were up next and the sheer sweetness of lead singer Mikhaila Anderson's immaculate vocals was all the rave. The set list also had a very natural progression that lifted the listening experience from mood to mood flawlessly. The Radiant’s performance was very reminiscent of something you’d experience at Florence and The Machine concert executed seamlessly. The Hourhand didn’t keep us waiting for long as they took the stage not too long after. You have to again praise lead vocalist Gray Farrow for just being excellent. His vocals were simply unreal. With no in ear monitor in sight, the level of singing ability it would take the produce the quality of vocals he was singing is definitely nothing but miraculous. The band’s soft moments were just as riveting as their energetic and man were they filled with energy! They were definitely the perfect act to hit the stage before the headliners. The effortless harmonies and absolutely epic guitar solos had the whole room buzzing with energy and excitement. Last and definitely far from the least was Dead Levee. After following such incredulous performances, Dead Levee had only one job - Prove to us why you’re the headliners. Thankfully, they did just that. The crowd’s energy entered a new level of euphoria when they hit the stage.
Their showmanship was truly unmatched and every single person on the stage was playing for their dinner. From climbing on tables to throwing free merch to the crowd, they came very prepared to engage the crowd and ensure everyone had a great time. At this time, it is essential to comment on effortless star power of lead singer Dane Von Hagen. He championed the performance and the band’s full sound with the same level of intimacy one would feel if they performing in-front or their bedroom mirror but with the level of grandeur one would experience at a sold out arena concert. Not many understand the act of a live performance but Von Hagen definitely did. Their rhythm section was also tight - switching it up from tempo to tempo without missing an actual beat. The variety of their set list also made for some exciting musical pockets and increasingly exhilarating musical experience. The best part of watching the band was definitely seeing their camaraderie. It was easy to tell that these men were close in real life and it was beautiful to see it translate on stage.
All in all, an exciting night with so many highs. One of which was a Hard to Handle cover sang by Dead Levee’s bass guitarist, Tayler Morgan. There was also an harmonica solo thrown in there by the Dead Levee’s lead singer if you can imagine that. Looking forward to more great nights and more exceptional performances like these this summer.