Review: JORDAN SIWEK's BIG BIRTHDAY SHOW Was a Party of Pop Music at the Triad

There were literally dozens of people singing the last number in Jordan Siwek’s March show at the Triad.  But they weren’t on the Upper West Side venue’s stage.  The audience had burst into a robust chorus: “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you….”  (His actual birthday is the 4th of March, but this celebration booked for a Saturday afternoon, two days earlier, was close enough.)  The man turning 37 has been turning out original songs for some years now, singing his heart out and accompanying himself on piano with equal intensity and fervor, rocking out with skill and muscularity.  Joining the party were a band and guest vocalists.  

The melodies he composes are solidly structured and he’s willing to reveal sensitivity and hope in his lyrics. Like many catchy commercial songs in the pop-rock vein, his creations and performances latch onto a key statement, which includes the title, and it is driven home with considerable repetition and lyrics are a mix of near-rhymes and the more ear-pleasing pure rhymes.  Acknowledging Elton John as an influence, which you might guess without being told, he included a cover of the star’s driving “Benny and the Jets.”  His own material presented ranged from what he calls his first attempt at a love song, dedicated to his wife, a touching ode to his late father, and the savvy wink at social media’s needy seekers of validation, “Like Me and Follow Me.”  He mentions that it was written with a satirical tone before the pandemic caused people to be isolated and leaning more on communicating from behind screens, and musicians had no indoor places to perform and expose their music and get reactions. The new reality gave it a different slant.  And he became more prominent online, joining the TikTok world to expose his work.

Several selections were mainly drawn from the tracks of Jordan Siwek’s album Sun Inside You, available digitally, on CD, and in vinyl form. They included  “Underachiever (Know Your Song)" which begins “Got the life squeezed out of your brain/ Need some air or else you’re gonna go insane/ Better grab three umbrellas cause you know it’s gonna rain” and “Never Give Up” with a backstory (“Been knocked down, been locked up, been called crazy/ So far gone, hardly worth saving/ Came close to losing hope, ‘cause life takes turns and love burns and pain stings/ Been called weak, a lazy freak, I lost focus, but I'm not so hopeless”) before the titular advice.

Guest singers contributed strong performances and other vocal colors (on non-Siwek songs).  Eric B Turner, who has sung with The Drifters, offered a big, confident and bluesy “Love Her with a Feelin” that brought a feeling of excitement. Virginie Marine had a number co-written with her husband Charles Holive, “Don’t Want to say Goodbye”; and Brian Childers sang a cool duet on the 1991 hit, “Walking in Memphis.” Rather than a quick, personal intro or welcome for each singer, Jordan Siwek gave/read credit-laden bios that were too long for the situation, better suited to be in printed program notes.  Other spoken comments revealed aspects of personality and autobiography, and inspiration for his songs, including a Robert Frost poem, “The Road Not Taken,” for “Two Roads.”  

The busy, frequently changing and flashing lighting had the head-spinning style of an arena rock show with many color switches on the upbeat songs, spinning mirrored balls catching and spreading the brightness and sudden flashes (sometimes blindingly so for a second or two). Lighting effects spread to the walls in the audience area, creating a wrap-around environment  of many illuminated shapes. I am assuming there were more lights to come after the show, in the form of the flames from 37 birthday candles.   

Find more Triad shows at www.triadnyc.com

See more about Jordan Siwek at www.jordansiwekmusic.com

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