MusicDish Anniversary Party Celebrating ten years at Gonzalez y Gonzalez

By Stephen Bailey, Gonzalez y Gonzalez (625 Broadway, NYC) is the tropical rococo home to the longest bar in NYC. I can vouch for the bright eye candy, but without my tape measure I cannot confirm the size boasting.

 The food is your standard South of the Border fare and - at least for tonight - the margaritas were only $5.00. I'm not sure if this is normal. I did find out however that they offer Salsa lessons weekly ... but don't look for me there.

The room is perfectly set up for live music and I really don't get here as often as I should. The sound is pretty decent and they pump it into the front part of the restaurant. That way if you want to eat without having to shout your conversations, you can still enjoy the entertainment. I was here to join in the celebration of both the 10th anniversary of MusicDish and the release of 'Dream' by Astrella Celeste.

MusicDish has, under the guidance of brothers Eric & Sounni de Fontenay, developed over these past ten years into a well-rounded artist development firm. I myself have discovered some fantastic music thanks to the work of MusicDish including acts like Kobo Town and Amy Speace. On the bill tonight was a truly eclectic array of talent including Astrella Celeste, Swamp Cabbage and The Love Kills Theory.

Astrella Celeste is the very definition of a love child being born to peace and flowers Sixties folk icon Donovan. Her sound is sweet and cool, airy and fresh. Her light touch was supported by backing band The Brilliant Mistakes. Adding to the delight of listening to Astrella while sipping cool citrus cocktails was to watch as proud dad Donovan beamed with delight. He also danced with this cute toddler who was holding a stuffed bear as the unfortunate paparazzi swarmed.

After Astrella's set, I wanted to get a nice photo of her and Donavan but I guess I'm just not cut out to fight the wall of flash bulbs and shutters. It was like a lightning storm. I decided to back off and packed my camera away. A few moments later I noticed a small crew from NY1 News come in as the paparazzi exited the club en masse. Suddenly I saw my chance to get just the kind of photo I wanted. It was a sweet moment of watching a proud father brag about his child.

Next up was quite a different bit of work from Swamp Cabbage. From the heat of Jacksonville to the grime of NYC, the group is solid, loud American rock plain and simple. No pretence or pretty songs here just a good time and a sound that befits the name (or maybe a name that befits the sound). This is music you dance to until you fall down heaving in sweaty contentment. Frontman Walter Parks has also been moonlighting with another folk legend Ritchie Havens since 2001.

I had to leave before I had a chance to heave or see the last act. The Love Kills Theory is an experimental combination of rock, philosophy and sonic experimentation. They're more of a project than a band fronted by Cevin Soling who is currently going for his Masters in philosophy at Harvard. Not the usual backstory for a rock band, but then again, from what I've heard online, there is little that is usual about The Love Kills Theory. I have to make a point to catch them live.

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2007 - Republished with Permission