[DID NOT ATTEND: May 14, 2022] Sunflower Bean / Hello Mary
I’ve seen Sunflower bean twice. The first time I was blown away by them. The second time, they had changed their sound a bit and, while I liked them, I didn’t really love the new direction quite as much.
Sunflower Bean had cancelled a few shows earlier this month due to singer Julia Cumming’s injury. This show did happen, but if I was going out this night it was to see The Dead Milkmen.
Although now that I know about Hello Mary, that might have changed.
Hello Mary is a band I hadn’t heard of. Why hadn’t I heard of them? Well, because this article from November 2022 (yes, out of chronology, but it shows just how unknown they were back in May) explains
The New York trio’s self-titled full-length debut, out March 3, is a blast of distorted chords, sunny harmonies, and all-consuming angst that will renew your faith in the hopelessly dated and/or timelessly classic sounds of alternative rock. Hello Mary is an instant contender for 2023’s most bracing entrance to the stage, sharp and self-assured. Oh yeah, and the band’s two founders — singer-guitarist Helena Straight and bass player Mikaela Oppenheimer, both 18 — just graduated from high school this summer.
So at the time of the show they were still in high school. That would have been wild to see them. I have since listened to the album and I love it. I sure hope the tour soon.
Leave a Reply