Baby Dayliner Showcases New Band At Mercury Lounge

About 7 years ago, I first witnessed Ethan Marunas as Baby Dayliner. The one man band had been given the honor of opening for the legendary Wesley Willis (RIP). This awkward, tall skinny dude, who looked incredibly similar to Kevin Bacon crooned about bitches and hoes over New Order style grooves. Alone on stage, stripped bare of any instruments to hide behind, Baby Dayliner layed himself out on the line that night, surely winning over more than just one fan.

Since then, Marunas has continued working, developing stronger songs and building a devoted fan base. At Saturday night’s concert at Mercury Lounge, Marunas introduced a new element to the Baby Dayliner crowd—a backing band. While it seemed like a backing band may take away some of that feeling of Marunas being alone on stage, the band did a great job of sitting back and letting Marunas rule the night. Equipped with an unparalleled awkward smoothness, Baby Dayliner commanded the full crowd, inspiring them to dance and sing along comfortably. In a self-conscious scene that cares so much about looking and being hip, Baby Dayliner is a breathe of fresh air. Songs like “Whondunit?,” “Raid,” and “Silent Places” were all highlights, but it was “Go On Baby” that made for the night’s highlight, as the crowd sang along with Marunas on the chorus over the  Depeche Mode synths and New Order bass lines.

Francis and the Lights set the tone for the night, preceding Baby Dayliner, as their manic singer performed passionately with songs that sounded like a really weird cross between soft Peter Gabriel and funky Prince. The songs rode the fine line between being painfully serious or a joke, but the passionate performance by the lead singer made it memorable and totally fun.

As much as both performers could be seen as part of the ironically hip scene Brooklyn has become, both acts have a totally honest and natural aspect that shields them from that horrible black cloud of a label.

Photo by [Jonny-Leather]