As some of you may recall I’ve been following Lisa Bianco’s career for quite a while, so I was very excited to see her new band Hunter Valentine at the Knitting Factory.

Before the show I stopped off at the new Federal Bar & Restaurant right next door to the Knitting Factory. It’s a nice warm space. Wine is served in a can – Infinite Monkey Theorem. It was okay. I ordered the grilled radicchio salad, which was served on slate. It was better than a slate full of greens deserved to be.

Went next door and waited since I was one of the first people there. The room was about a quarter full when Dahl Haus took the stage. Leader Blaise Dahl (vocals/rhythm guitar) fit the theme of the night, which was female bands. She has a pleasant voice and was backed up by Daniel Kasshu and Dan Burdman on lead guitar and drums (not sure who was on which). Bassist Michelle Gorman couldn’t be there so she was replaced by a synthesizer. The band uses a lot of adjectives to describe itself. I’d say it was okay indie.

Try looking up the url for a band named Boys and see how hard that is. Boys was another three-piece with a lead singer on guitar, a bassist, and a drummer. They had a much harder rock sound and much appreciated by the audience. Like the previous band, I’d say they were okay.

Hunter Valentine is a hard rocking alternative band. Fronted by Kiyomi McClosky (vocals/guitar/keyboards), the rest of the band is Lisa Bianco (guitar/keyboards), Leanne Bowes (bass), and Laura Petracca (drums). McClosky is a great front person but my heart will always belong to Bianco as a band leader. Was the band great? Unfortunately, no. But they were good. And I may save my concert money for bands where Bianco is the leader.

On the way home there was a bar with a lot of bikes outside. I thought it looked interesting so I went inside. Unfortunately it tipped more hipster than biker so I left after one drink. I did make one more delicious stop – Kellogg’s Diner on Union and Metropolitan. The Benny Burger, which has a fried egg and hollandaise sauce on top is brilliant and just what I needed.

By Carene Lydia Lopez