Virtuoso classical, hip-hop, jazz, and R&B violinist Damien Escobar performed at the Strand Theater in Lakewood, NJ, on Friday, July 1, 2016. Escobar, who originally made a name for himself as part of the string duo Nuttin’ But Stringz, was catapulted to fame as a result of a series of appearances with his brother, Tourie, on TV’s America’s Got Talent. Now on his own as a solo artist, Escobar is currently on his first North American tour — The Boundless Tour — promoting his latest single, “Awaken,” in addition to his upcoming CD, Boundless.
Escobar’s opening act at the historic Strand Theater, Lyndsey Smith and the Soul Distribution, hits the stage running with a lively version of their original song, “Keep on Moving.” After segueing into a sing-along on another original, “Don’t Let Go,” Smith tells the crowd that, despite the fact that she and the group traveled to Lakewood from Pittsburgh, PA, to perform this evening, she originally hails from the shore exclaiming, “I’m actually a Jersey Girl from Brielle who went to Manasquan High School!”
Smith got her start in music in church when, at the age of three, she was given the chance to perform in front of a full congregation and left her listeners in awe of her outstanding vocal capabilities. Going on to pursue classical training, she aspired to excel in such diverse musical genres as opera, soul, and jazz. Her powerful alto voice has been compared to such musical icons as Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and her favorite singer, Ella Fitzgerald.
At the Strand, Smith invites everyone to snap along as she presents a sassy version of another original, “Can’t Resist It,” stopping in the middle of the song to remind the audience, “I can’t resist YOU, Jersey!” She goes on to electrify the crowd with a show-stopping version of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” her talented band, Soul Distribution — featuring musicians James Rushin on keyboards, Spencer Geer and Ben Sherman on guitars, Luke Daller on bass, Jules Coulson on drums, Ross Antonich on percussion, Collin Binko on sax, and Joe Badaczewski on trumpet — solidly backing her up.
Following Smith and the Soul Distribution’s powerful conclusion — a spirited performance of Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana” — the crowd is already on their feet before Damien Escobar hits the stage.
“I love you all for following me!,” Escobar tells the enthusiastic audience.
Escobar, who hails from Jamaica, Queens, grew up a violin prodigy. At the age of nine, he auditioned for Juilliard School of Music, was accepted at ten, and graduated with his college degree at the age of 13. According to Escobar, at such a young age he didn’t realize there was a disconnect between the classical music he was playing at Juilliard and the music other kids his age were listening to on the streets.
“I’d be walking down the block, bouncing my head hard, listening,” he explains — not to the latest hip-hop tune, but “to a new Bach piece.”
“I love Bach and Vivaldi!” he exclaims to the crowd, and as if to prove it, he goes on to expertly play a Bach violin piece on his gorgeous-sounding electric violin.
Escobar tells the crowd at The Strand that he loves other genres of music too. For example, he loves great rhythm and blues and goes on to play an outstanding medley of R&B tunes featuring Michael Jackson’s “PYT (Pretty Young Thing),” interweaving melodies old and new into a glorious tapestry of sound the audience unquestionably loves and appreciates.
Escobar lifts a wine glass and proposes a toast to everyone at The Strand revealing, “Last year, I couldn’t get more than 50 people to show up to hear me play. I appreciate you and I thank you for being right here; you could have been anywhere.” And indeed, after polling the audience, Escobar learns that his fans at The Strand this evening have not only come to support him from New Jersey and New York, but some have traveled from nearby states including Delaware and Pennsylvania, and others from such far-away places as St. Thomas and Lithuania.
As a musical “thank you” to everyone in the house, Escobar plays a tune from his upcoming CD, Boundless — a piece entitled “Mood Swings” — Escobar’s mood fluctuating musically, starting with smooth bowing on the strings.
During “Mood Swings” Escobar transitions from the smooth bowing of the strings to a fantastic pizzicato where he plucks the violin strings as if playing a guitar, thus creating a dramatic percussive interplay within the piece. As the music heats up, so does Escobar, melding musical cultures with his words and bow, showing that music is a universal ever-changing art form that can link the ages — as well as people — together into something new.
After stunning the audience with his sheer virtuosity, he informs them, “If you love this food, know this is soul food! It won’t give you high cholesterol or high blood pressure; you can O.D. on it!”
Going on to explain that “the best music is organic,” Escobar plays a game with the audience where he bows certain notes and then has the audience sing them back to him, thus creating a spontaneous new piece of music right on the spot featuring this world-class musician, his band, and the enthusiastic throng of fans who have come to enjoy his performance at The Strand.
Escobar then takes a few moments out from the musical portion of the program to talk to the audience and tell them his personal story.
“A lot of you know me from Facebook,” he says, “and some from being on a TV show.” But Escobar goes on to tell the audience about how, by the time he was 21, he had become a millionaire, and lost everything by the time he was only 22.
Escobar shares the lessons he learned from his experience, telling everyone that, in order for him to move forward again in life, he needed to do three things. First, he needed to learn to “forgive” both himself and others. Secondly, he needed to “stop blaming” other people for things that happened to him. Lastly, he needed to come to the conclusion that, as human beings, we only have “one life to live” and with that time, we must always “chase our purpose.”
Escobar then plays a song he wrote based on his personal set of experiences — a purposeful piece which he’s entitled “Awaken” — the audience listening like a congregation of followers who have just been lifted by the words of a prophet, feeling the spirit present in the music and its wordless message of hope communicated in a language which everyone in the house is able to viscerally understand and feel.
After a tremendous response from the crowd, Escobar concludes the evening’s performance by asking everyone at The Strand to take out their cell phones and “let the light shine” for his musical idol, Prince. He then proceeds to play an outstanding interpretation of “Purple Rain” on his violin — interspersed with cuts of Prince’s voice — along with the voices of hundreds of fans in the house who join him singing as they all perform the well-known “Purple Rain, Purple Rain” refrain together.
The evening ends with the entire audience on its feet, much to the appreciation of Escobar. As a result of all they’ve witnessed on this magical night, it’s clear to everyone present that Escobar’s ability to excite music fans with an amalgam of musical styles and genres — not to mention his own personal charisma and caring nature — is more than enough to “Awaken” the ears, hearts, and minds of anyone willing to listen, and for those lucky enough to experience his music in concert, to see, hear, and know that Damien Escobar’s talent is surely Boundless.
For more information on Lyndsey Smith and the Soul Distribution, please go to Lyndsey Smith and the Soul Distribution on Facebook. For more on Damien Escobar, see dameesco.com. For more info on upcoming programming at the Strand Theatre in Lakewood, NJ — including The Jerry Garcia Birthday Celebration: Musicians on a Mission on August 26, 2016, and Back to the Garden: The Songs of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Laura Nyro on Friday, September 23, 2016 — please go to strand.org.
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