Black Rose Garden

at the Kirkland Cafe
by Scott Hefflon

I’ve gotta cut a bit o’ slack in this review. Playing to a cool dozen people when the stage is so freakin’ small three of your six members have to perform at floor level is no easy task. Black Rose Garden pulled it off admirably. The bassist jumped around in the confines of his 2’x2′ square and the singer was anything but passive.

She may be short (petite, if I may be so journalistic), but she packs a wallop. Energetic, powerful, and sexy (in a mini Pat Benatar, Dorothy Hamill sorta way); this is a vocalist to keep a couple of eyes on. The music is generally guitar-driven pop rock with passionate vocals, but the diversity within that generalization is what keeps them exciting. Despite the living room mix, many of the anthemic songs scream for radio play, while the darker and moodier songs are truly disturbing – very personal stuff. Digging beneath the mix and the lack of “look” (hey, would you get all gussied up to come here?), Black Rose Garden are all quality musicians and have a definite grasp on songwriting. I hesitate to call it pop sensibility, but they know how to write memorable songs as well as perform them under less-than-perfect circumstances. (Can I trash this joint any more often? It’s not that it’s all that horrid, it just takes the word “cozy” to an extreme. I’m sure a shoebox is cozy too.) This six-piece Worcester favorite deserves more from our lovely, pompous, jaded, and incestuous little city. If you see ’em on a bill, check ’em out. Really.