Hidden in the back of a small Brooklyn restaurant, beneath a mesmerizingly swaying set of dangling strings, and ensconced between the even more mesmerizing atmospheric mood music of Abandoned Lighthouse, Magmana, and Natureboy, the Daltonians’ first live performance took my heart on a journey at the Cameo Gallery last night. Their set list balanced tender moments with upbeat ones, mixing songs of hearts broken and frozen, hearts thumping and pumping, hearts longing and grieving. Julie Jay’s subtle and insightful lyrics, courageous vocals, and skillful guitar, backed by Danielle DePalma on bass and Chris Golinski on drums, carried my own heart along with the music, melting and weeping, wrenched and reawakened. The Daltonians proved well worth the wait for new music and a drive to see them perform it live.
