When Lazarus opened his eyes, he was surrounded by friends. He had been dead for 4 days, but a spectacular miracle brought him back to life.
The local music scene is in dire need of a miracle right now. We don’t always get spectacular miracles in our day, but sometimes, a small miracle can bring hope of better things to come.
When Po Lazarus opened their eyes, on the stage of Petit Campus while recording their streaming show, they were not surrounded by friends in the audience. It was deadly silent, apart from the crew that made this possible, Steve Gerrard and I.
By a small miracle, Josh Carey, a rock-n-roll time traveler, did see the audience, though the multiple lenses pointed at him and the band.
Like a preacher channeling some unknown force, he twisted and wailed, and unleashed that falsetto forward in time, where the audience will experience the live music experience from the comforts of their own homes.
How times have changed.
The band’s name comes from a Chain Gang classic about “Po” Lazarus who was shot down by the High Sherriff’s .45. Seems like a modern headline if you ask me.
One of the songs performed highlights the crazy times we live in: Violent Times, in which Kento Kataoka (Lead Guitar) played the Lap Steel Guitar to add just the right amount of country to the song.
Other songs like Bonnie Ate a Beachball, would feature Mackenzie Myatt (John Jacob Magistry) stepping away from her keys to play the violin.
Frank Morino (Drums), fairly new to the band fit right in, with just the right amount of intensity, yet also offering up lighter drums serving to highlight the whole ensemble.
Ram Krishnan made a guest appearance and added bass, percussions and mandolin to round out the sound.
Founding member Paul Mascarenhas was exposed to music in a very interesting way. His parents didn’t listen to music in the house…they would describe The Beatles to him, and he would have to listen to them somewhere else. There was effort required to expose himself to new music, and that search well defines the overall sound of Po Lazarus with a mix of musical ingredients that is rich and wide in scope.
Before the show, as we shared a beer 2-meters apart, I asked the band, after all that this Pandemic took away from us, what did it give them?
For Josh, it was a cat and Origami.
Like the Japanese art of folding, Po Lazarus are able to sculpt a musical experience for listeners. Some of the folds are delicate, almost quiet in nature, while others are deep and thunderous bursts of energy resulting in an original finished work of art.
Another miracle that happened in the empty Petit Campus is how, when the live music started, the space filled up with hope. My heart was being fed an almost long-lost memory of actual musicians gathered in one room, to perform to a crowd.
My last pre-pandemic show was Dave Haus at Petit Campus.
The lesson, for me, is that small miracles still happen today, and I look forward to a musical resurrection when it will be safe again to gather and hear live music again.
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their days jobs with out of the box advice from Ted Talk speakers, best selling authors and other interesting entrepreneurs and creatives.
Photos – Steve Gerrard
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