Otherwise

A LocalBozo.com Concert Review
The Studio at Webster Hall, NY
September 29, 2014

When we sat down with Otherwise frontman Adrian Patrick more than two years ago at the very same Studio at Webster Hall space that the band would headline on Monday night, the singer was down-to-earth and appreciative, having been launched into the world of rock music courtesy of SiriusXM‘s generous airplay. While a lot has changed for the Las Vegas five-piece band since then- including the release of a brand new album “Peace at All Costs” on September 16th, Patrick and his bandmates proved that they are still the same guys that we fondly remember sitting down with- a group of musicians appreciative and humbled by their fan support. Despite a genre that’s been in decline or declared dead for the better part of a decade, this band’s live performances defiantly prove…otherwise.

With the help of support act Like A Storm, The Studio space was pleasantly filled up for Monday night’s show with fans donning Otherwise t-shirts strewn throughout the standing room venue. Despite their set time being pushed back a bit, Otherwise exploded out of the gates on the small New York City stage with “IV” and “Love & War,” two furiously rocking tunes from their new album. The band laced songs from both of their two releases throughout an hour long set that seemed to amplify the live crowd even further with each passing song.

Though he fronts the band, the head-shaven Adrian and lothario-haired brother Ryan, its lead guitarist, share the spotlight as the band’s focal points, playing off of each other’s intensity throughout each show. Gripping the microphone tightly in his bead wrapped hand, Adrian’s connection with the audience alone is a sight to behold. It’s both intense and satisfying, with the saucer-eyed frontman lighting up with each crowd response. The electrifying riffs on tracks like “Vegas Girl” and “Full Circle” led by Ryan only serve to further fuel such interaction with the rest of the band admirably following suit.

New cuts like “The Other Side of Truth” and the band’s latest single “For the Fallen Ones” were both notable additions to the set, but fall a bit shy of the live intensity of the catchy and poignant “I Don’t Apologize (1000 Pictures)” and the rocking “Soldiers,” backed by the military inspired drumline which introduced Otherwise to rock fans everywhere. Just as we thought the band had capped off their performance, a chant of ‘one more song’ rang out and to the fans delight, a raucous version of “Die For You” allowed the entire room to let loose and sing the song’s frenzied chorus to the brothers Patrick in unison. Rebelliously closing with a breakdown of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” only served to put a second punctuation mark on an already wild show.

- Jane Van Arsdale