NFV Song Spotlight: Cesar Maria's on ur side now

I walked into Zebulon and John Williams was being blasted over the loudspeakers. The music sparked a sense of positivity. The massive Los Angeles fires had just started that day and evening (Tuesday) and there wasn't yet an understanding of the true magnitude of the damage. Yet, it is depressing when there are fires that burn across Los Angeles and the music gave that window of good cheer (that obviously did not last when the reality of the situation hit home). 

Cesar Maria at the Zebulon

Up first on this particular night was Cesar Maria. There was a unique Americana-Folk feel to the set from the start. On stage was a piano bench, which guitarist Adam Nash used to sit on as he backed up Cesar Maria. His guitar play emphasized the impression. Cesar Maria took a seat on a drum stool. It felt like you were in a living room, watching a trio playing songs together. The third individual in the band was Gregory DiMartino on keys who was the headliner for the night in the band Tino Drima. Perhaps I really should say that watching the band perform was more like seeing them play on an imaginary Craftsman style home patio versus a living room. That would fit so much better as Tino Drima has a song called "Life on the Patio."

Cesar Maria at the Zebulon

Some song highlights from the set included "liquid" that comes off his recent EP release called on ur side now. Cesar Maria went with the acoustic guitar for the song. The singing of the lyrics were filled with emotion, "Take my breath away our love." Perhaps he was singing to a significant other in the audience? His song "Lairs" was played with a folk emphasis that had just a touch of discordance between the three instruments. 

Cesar Maria at the Zebulon

At one time, when a song got an especially loud cheer from the crowd, Cesar Maria responded with a, "F*ck, yeah." It was a moment of bonding between band and audience. The song "Liars" is the self-titled track from his 2022 album release Liars. He had some cassettes to sell and gave the audience his sales pitch, "Cassettes for sale if you have a cassette player . . . or if you need wall art." 

Zebulon's electrical power nearly stole the show. During one song, there was a tenth of a second moment where the power went down. The lights went out and then immediately powered back up. If one had blinked at that moment, one wouldn't have noticed it. The instruments were still heard over the speakers. But the vocals were dead. An interesting situation where everything rebooted but the microphone. The Zebulon staff went over to work the breakers on the electrical panel and fiddle with the sound system on stage right. Success was found and the set continued. 

Cesar Maria at the Zebulon

The final song of the night was "jane says." The song vocals and music traded prominence. In the end, it abruptly ended with the lyrics, "I like to feel the weight of u like this."   

I've mentioned a trio of songs, but I'll say the song I'd like to highlight is the song "on ur side now." Per a blog post on a site called Start-Track, it is a song about depression. It is a tenderly played song with lyrics that barely register above a whisper, "if im not happy now does it mean ill never be." My interpretation of the song is about the depression that follows after a life failure, "it sounds petty but i wish things had gone differently." The guitar is played with a strumming that is just as quietly as the vocals and with that same longing for a better future. It has the listener empathizing with the emotional pain being suffered by Cesar Maria.