The scene at Oasis will be quite mad as a Brooklyn-based band hits the stage on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 10 p.m.
Gone Quite Mad, a gypsy blues rock and roll quartet, is set to play in New Paltz for the second time ever.
“We all love it down here in the city, but New Paltz has more of a sense of community that we really enjoy,” Joey Kruse, the band’s bass player, said. “The last time we played here, New Paltz people were a lot more open than some of the people you meet down in New York.”
The band released their self-titled debut LP “Gone Quite Mad” this year. They are best-known for their ability to play covers of songs by a variety of artists such as Michael Bublé, Weezer and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The band members said one of the only challenges in getting Thursday’s show together was deciding which songs to play. They said they tried to pick covers of songs people at New Paltz would enjoy.
Along with the covers they plan on performing, they said they will also play two sets of original songs. Members include Chris Gesualdi as the lead singer, Nick Pascarella on lead guitar, Joey Kruse on bass and Caleb Spaulding on drums.
Gesualdi said one of Gone Quite Mad’s distinguishing qualities is that they enjoy creating a party-like environment for their audience when they play shows. All well-versed in studying music, the band members said they are grateful that they are able to communicate to each other on both a technical and basic listening-based level.
“We want to challenge people with our music a lot and ask them to listen and enjoy it in a different way. And we think that’s something we bring to the table,” Gesualdi said. “We give people a different vibe for a night. A lot of people are used to going out and listening to a DJ regurgitate on repeat, but it’s good to have people actually perform in front of you that are fairly competent at what they’re doing and passionate about it.”
Gone Quite Mad is most excited about improvising and feeding off of each other in front of an audience during their show, as their feedback influences them to make changes or incorporate different styles into their performance, Gesualdi said.
“Many of our songs we like to get a little weird with,” Kruse said. “Each song has a different vibe and connecting with the audience is fun because they’re experiencing it at the same moment we are.”
Editor’s Note: The print edition of this article and the accompanying pullout page mistakenly named Bacchus as the venue of the show. The show will actually be held at Oasis. We apologize for any inconvenience.