Alex is a high school student attending Wilmington Friends
School with an interest in journalism as a major. She is an editor for her
school newspaper, has served as an intern at Out and About magazine and has written for WXPN’s website. Alex hopes to expand her love of music and writing through
helping with our blog.
Narrowing down my "Best
Delaware Arts Experiences of 2014" is an excruciating feat. There are numerous
concerts, shows, and performances that can be distinguished as some of the best the Delaware Arts Scene has to offer.
A concert that stands out in my
mind was Run River North, who performed an incredible set at the Baby Grand in the Grand Opera House in July. The group is categorized as a Korean-American indie folk-rock band,
but that doesn’t even begin to describe them. Among the six members,
they can probably play any instrument imaginable, including violins, guitars,
drums and of course, vocals. The sextet is impossible to squeeze into any one musical genre. I think their performance was breathtaking and
has me hoping Delaware will see much more of them in the future.
My second 2014 Delaware Arts moment
is not strictly 2014, but the annual Spring
Standards Boxing Day Event at Arden Gild Hall. For seven years, the day after
Christmas has been dedicated to witnessing the religiously enthusiastic and
talented trio, The Spring Standards, light
up Arden. Just steps away from my house, the Gild Hall is home to not only our
annual favorite but also welcomes several foreign acts. We Were Promised Jetpacks, a Scottish indie rock band, graced the
stage in March. I first heard their music in the indie film, The Kings of Summer, and couldn’t stop
listening. I hope that the Gild Hall can welcome them to be a part of their list of
regular performers alongside The Spring
Standards.
A Delaware music moment that cannot
be overlooked is the 3rd annual Firefly Music Festival in Dover. This
summer event started as a relatively small outdoor concert but quickly erupted
into a musical extravaganza hosting around 100 bands and welcoming tens of
thousands of festival fanatics. Firefly 2014 brought in performers from Foo Fighters to our local group, New Sweden. My favorite show had to be the
energetic indie pop duo, twenty one pilots.
Four days of non-stop music and good company was a weekend never to forget, and
never to miss again!
A change
in pace from the many excellent bands that hit Delaware in 2014, is the
outstanding performance of James Joyce's The Dead
by City Theater Company. They served up nine performances of at The Black
Box at OperaDelaware Studios, where they turned the space into a working Irish "pub." The show was an excellent combination of intriguing dialogue and beautiful
musical pieces. The plot simply followed a group of family and friends in their
house in Ireland, and the family conflicts that can arise in the comfort of one’s
home. The intimate performance space of the show sparked a connection between
the actors and the audience that is hard to beat.
2014 brought too many more outstanding
concerts and shows to list — and I have faith that 2015 will do much the same for Delaware!