By: David Schultz

Brooklyn . . . the County of Kings . . . home of the hipsters. If you have a black T-shirt, thick blocky glasses and can quote lyrics from The National’s last album with the gravitas of Walt Whitman poetry, this is the locale for you. For all the things that you can say about Brooklyn, there is one deep truth about the borough: Brooklyn don’t jam. It’s a fact that can be said with the same certainty that Robert Duvall knew that Charlie didn’t surf. Despite Brooklyn’s preference for the pithy and concise, every so often a band from the jamband community makes a bit of a dent in the aloof community and this past weekend it was U-Melt’s turn to introduce their blend of electronica and progressive rock to Park Slope’s Southpaw.

Doing more in a Mets #7 jersey than the individual who presently wears it, U-Melt’s Rob Salzer continues to build on his reputation as one of the most-electrifying young guitarists. Opening the second set with a psychedelic cover of The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows,” Salzer matched Zac Lasher’s vocals with his guitar, transforming the trippy Revolver classic into a high-powered jam. In a nod to the recently departed Michael Jackson, the song segued into “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” with Lasher pounding out the vocal melody on his keyboards while bassist Adam Bendy and drummer George Miller had the crowd moving with the song’s sinuous beat.

It’s easy to gush over U-Melt – as I have ample times in the past on this site and recently over on jambands.com – and for good reason. This is a fantastic band hitting their stride and building a lasting relationship with their fans. Perhaps a fine sign of the burgeoning community, one of the fans at Southpaw had a gigantic tattoo of the U-Melt logo on his upper arm. If you haven’t yet made it to see U-Melt – shame on you; remedy this.

On July 4, U-Melt will return to The Stone Pony, the site of their last New Year’s Eve gig, for a performance inside the Asbury Park, NJ haunt following moe.’s show just outside. After a headlining set on July 18 at the Somerset County Jam Fest in Harmony, Maine, U-Melt will return to New York City on August 8 for two sets at Sullivan Hall.

Labels: U-Melt