Concert Review: Angela Perley & the Howlin' Moons
Clad in a long, flowing yellow dress, wide-brimmed hat, and purple boots, Angela Perley doesn’t appear to be the driving force behind one of Ohio’s finest rock bands at first glance. However, as soon as she strikes the first chords on her glittery red guitar, and the rest of the Howlin’ Moons begin to play, you know that you are in for an excellent night of rock ‘n’ roll. Coming back home after extensive regional touring, the Columbus based band took the stage at Thirty One West in Newark to much enthusiasm from the crowd.
Thirty One West, recently renovated ballroom which originally opened way back in 1902, was the perfect venue for the vintage 1970s style blues-infused rock of Angela Perley & the Howlin’ Moons. During their nearly two hour set, the band covered a large chunk of their catalogue, including most of 2016’s excellent Homemade Vision album. The sounds on “Green Eyes” and “Electric Flame” illustrate the full rock ‘n’ roll mentality firmly adopted by the band on Homemade Vision, while still incorporating the country/folk roots more prominent on classics “Tangled on the Kitchen Floor” and “Athens.” Guitarist Chris Connor’s showed off his incredible skills throughout the set, meshing perfectly with bassist Billy Zehnal, and Perley. Then, when Perley shows off her saw playing skills on “Tangled on the Kitchen Floor,” the crowd, predictably, goes crazy.
Perley told the audience to expect to hear more new songs being added to their setlist throughout the summer as the band works to get ready to begin recording their next album this fall. During the set, Perley sang a powerful cover of the late David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream,” which fit perfectly with the band’s style. After closing the set with her award-winning classic “Athens,” Perley and the band came back out for one final jam, covering the Black Sabbath classic, “N.I.B.”
Opening the show was Apple & The Moon from Nelsonville, Ohio. The four-piece band features lead vocalist and songwriter Elena Aiello, lead guitarist, Nick Collura, bassist, Mike Makosky, and drummer, Todd Parish. Their sound is Americana-esque, with heavy blues and country influences, which assert themselves on different tracks. One of the highlights amidst their very fun set, was their song sung in Spanish, “Canto Tristeza”.
Check out Angela Perley & the Howlin’ Moons at their next Columbus show, on April 29 at Rumba Cafe.
