Welcome to the Sunshine State

When most people think of Orlando, the first thing that springs to mind may be a day of sweaty exhaustion within a variety of brightly colored theme parks, a few pairs of discarded Mickey Mouse ears, some greasy hamburgers and ice cream cones that seem too large to eat until you finish them and realize that they were, in fact, too large to eat. A lot further down the list, between Dairy Queen and the Holiday Inn, squashed down as an afterthought and barely even a thought at all, would be the music and venues belonging to the sunny streets. And yet, this may be an injustice to the city that actually has lot more to offer to the music scene than you might think at first.

Tucked away into downtown Orlando, between the high rise apartments and coral pink sidewalks, sits a venue that could quite easily be a hidden gem to any of the larger cities; New York, London, Chicago, all could swallow this place into its midst with the eagerness of a child getting a new toy. It’s called the Social, a cute little venue that’s welcomed some of the darlings of the indie world; Conor Oberst, The Decemberists, even bigger stars like Lily Allen and the Ting Tings have played to the intimate setting that only fits a hundred. My social experience wasn’t with anyone I’d heard of, but with a group that my Orlando friends love to name drop proudly into conversations and most mix CD’s. A band of five Orlando natives, Band Marino, who gave one of the best shows I’ve ever been lucky enough to see.

‘Has anyone ever got down at a hoe-down?’

The song is Chasing Rainbows, a sweet song with a country vibe that at one point goes quiet. The whole venue is suddenly on their knees, the song winds down to a lonely few guitar picks, before suddenly the hoe-down kicks in an explosion of accordions, trumpets and some southern accented laughter for good measure.

The club is up, getting down at a hoe-down in the best way possible. And suddenly the tune changes seamlessly into another great song, Every Time I’ve Made A Girl Cry. Ridiculously catchy, and easy to sing along to even if you don’t know the lyrics. It’s clearly a classic, the audience knows every word. The lead singer takes it with a smile, sending a wink to a pretty blonde in the audience who smiles back from the stairs.

The songs twist and turn back from the slow to the fast, merging into some sudden dance numbers (Como Se Dice Señorita, Act 1) which get everyone going, to sweet minute –long laments about elephants. Throw in a quick performance piece where the lead singer belts out the lyrics to Arlee Hayes hidden under a black tablecloth, and the guitarist struts out in a full-on mermaid’s outfit, including, of course, a wig and plenty of sequins, and you know you’ve got a good thing going.

Their new album, The Sea & The Beast, is available now, and they’re songs, I happy to say, hold up even without the great atmosphere of their live show. Representing the Florida pride, Band Marino is a case and point that Florida is not just about the sunshine. Great bands, great venues, great music. Welcome to the sunshine state.

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