Mary Ocher/Mike Dillon/Calvin Arsenia

Haymaker Records and Bullseye Records teamed up to present an intimate night of otherworldly music at The Greenwood Social Hall on May 29, 2018. Greenwood Social Hall may no longer be a church, but the sacredness of the space remains. There was beauty and warmth in every corner of the listening room. Soft lights glowed in the space. There was a quiet buzz of excitement and anticipation in the air with the sold out crowd.

Mary Ocher (Berlin, Germany) started off the show with her thought provoking, experimental music. Her music pushes boundaries creating an other worldly sounds. Her music has quirks and I loved her the juxtaposition of sounds in her songs. Her voice is beautiful backed by idiosyncratic music. Through her set she played a variety of instruments. My favorite was her songs on the piano.

Mike Dillon (New Orleans, LA) played vibraphone and drums. When I saw the vibraphone all I could think of was slow jazz and my elementary education college classes, but don't let the instrument fool you, this music was funky and lively. Watching Mike play was memorizing. His music pushed the boundaries of jazz. Mike ended the set playing a cover of Hurt as a duo with Calvin Arsenia and I think the whole audience had chills from the power of this duet. Calvin wasn't the only guest to join Mike during the set. The cute little dog of the Greenwood Social Hall also made an appearance on one of his songs on the drums.

Calvin Arsenia (Kansas City, MO) is an expert at his craft; he also knows how to curate an intimate experience of visual beauty. The flowers in Calvin's hair and around the stage matched one of the giant paintings on the wall. Their was an intimacy in the air; his set felt like you had be invited into a serenade to a lover. Calvin's voice is one of an angel and his lyrics and music paint a picture you dream of hanging on your wall.

As if the cover of hurt wasn't enough, he surprised us with one more breath taking cover. Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead is already one of those songs that gets me every time, but Calvin's cover took it to another level. I definitely had tears in my eyes, and I know I'm not the only one. Calvin had the crowd on the leaning in attentively to every note. It was the perfect end to a perfect night.