BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Slingshot Dakota accepted the grand honor of kicking off Musikfest 2023 with the grace, aplomb and uncompromisingly unique punk-meets-pop-meets-everything-weird-about-music energy that its fans have come to expect.
The Allentown-based wife-and-husband duo may have opened to a sparse crowd, but by the end of the set, just about everyone in attendance was cheering — and plenty of kids in front of the crowd were dancing, to the band’s delight.
- Allentown indie rockers Slingshot Dakota kicked off Musikfest 2023 on Thursday evening
- Fans got a chance to hear a new track from the band, "Hotbox Honda," reminiscing on the duo's old days of escaping their constrictive apartment to hang in their car
- Jolie Lanning of Lehigh Valley Girls Rock took over the drum kit for covers of "Maps" and "Video Killed the Radio Star," featuring the vocals of Tom Patterson
Carly Comando showed a masterful range of the keys, ranging from the sounds of a soulful church organ to a jangly bar piano to a full-on electric guitar sound, while Tom Patterson exercised incredible precision and timing on his drum kit, building up momentum with escalating snares and punctuating the heavy parts with thunderous crashes.
“We’re really excited to be a part of you, I think it’s been since 2016, maybe before, I can’t remember, but every time, we are just as excited and just as nervous. So we’re really happy to be here, and if my sweaty, beautiful drummer drops a drumstick, that is the time that you must chug a beer in honor of Musikfest."Carly Comando, Slingshot Dakota
Noting their perpetual appreciativeness for being included in the lineup for Musikfest, and also pointing out their nervousness which was all but imperceptible, the band managed to quickly convert a few early birds to rabid fans by the conclusion of their set.
“We’re really excited to be a part of you, I think it’s been since 2016, maybe before, I can’t remember, but every time, we are just as excited and just as nervous. So we’re really happy to be here, and if my sweaty, beautiful drummer drops a drumstick, that is the time that you must chug a beer in honor of Musikfest,” Comando told the crowd.
The set list consisted of tracks spanning nearly two decades and covering everything from love to family to breaking up with friends, and just about anything and everything in between.
Fan favorites like “Doreen” — an ode to those who suffer the life of a musician in the service industry — and “Casino Night” — chronicling one of Comando’s trips to what's now Wind Creek Bethlehem — drew cheers and shouts from the crowd of longtime friends and newly-turned fans.
“I know that a lot of folks like me and Tom work jobs that accommodate our lives as musicians," Comando said. "It’s hard to hold down jobs that support you taking off all the time for touring, so those jobs mean the world to us. As Musikfest is a free festival, we definitely recommend that you tip the purveyors you are supporting — your beer, your food, all the deliciousness.”
Patterson maintained a perpetual grin throughout the set, headbanging along with his wife as they traversed the story of the relationship, life as musicians, and more. Comando kept an excitable demeanor throughout each and every song, feeding off the building energy from the crowd — especially her young fans lined up at the foot of the stage.
With a little help, the band snuck in a couple covers as well. Jolie Lanning of Lehigh Valley Girls Rock took over Patterson’s kit and handled the vocals for a tight performance of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Maps,” after which Patterson grabbed himself a mic to rouse the crowd with a rendition of The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.”
MORE: Slingshot Dakota, kicking off Musikfest today, promise 'the debut of something very special'
“My voice is gonna crack, and I’m gonna sing out of tune," he said. "I might mess up the words, but you can sing along with me. This next song is the first song ever played on MTV, music television, it’s the first ever music video ever played on MTV. Also, we want to dedicate this song to our friend Joel who just retired from his morning shift at 99.9 The Hawk. We wish you the best, my friend. Thank you for keeping our mornings bright, but we all must move on,” Patterson said before adding the track was also dedicated to “all the bands that write original music and don’t rip off other bands” to laughs from the crowd.
Guests were also fortunate enough to get a sneak peak at upcoming material from Slingshot Dakota, playing their track “Hotbox Honda,” reminiscing of the pair’s days spent in a beat-up car as an escape from their apartment.
Fans may have to wait a bit for Slingshot Dakota's next album, though, as their new family member, corgi Biff, has taken up quite a bit of time for the family.
During a few in-between-song thank-yous, Comando came up with an impromptu jingle or two for ArtsQuest and Service Electric, showcasing their signature humor and spontaneity.
Rounding out the set were a pair of tracks, including the loving and thoughtful “Break,” and finishing off with the angsty “you don’t feel like you belong anywhere” track “Grudge,” coming to an absolute swell of drums and keys to conclude the show, yielding shouts and cheers from all those on the Levitt Pavilion lawn.
With the help of a receptive crowd who was all for their brand of punk-tinged indie-rock, Slingshot Dakota nailed the opening slot for Muskifest — and we can only hope the plethora of acts to come can keep that positive energy and put on lively performances.
