Misty Mountain Midnight, Luna and the Carpets, and Subject to Change rocked out with a bell-bottom and paisley-clad audience.

Words by Polly Gilmore / Photos by Hannah Delaray / Graphic by Maxine Moses / Graphic Inspo by Lily Greco and Griffin Turner

Fireball shots, rosé on the rocks, and spaghetti. These are the respective pre-show rituals of Redgate’s 70s night performers, all of whom embody the eclectic rock and roll spirit of the Syracuse house scene. I sat down with each band as they prepared to take the stage of the notoriously sweaty but reliably riotous venue on Friday night.

“It is just very nice to have people there who want to be there,” the members of Misty Mountain Midnight remarked of the crowds at Redgate. They’re intriguing and original, the self-proclaimed trailblazers of the genre “mist rock,” Misty Mountain Midnight threatens to go over your head, then lets you in on the joke with them. They describe mist rock as a concept that has never been fully realized before, but could be approximated by Modest Mouse and Television in some ways, “Led Zeppelin tried once.” The band, who played their first gig together at the house venue, told me that what they’re most excited for tonight is, in fact, spaghetti. 

After dancing to 70s hits in anticipation of the first set of the night, the crowd finally greeted Misty Mountain Midnight with raucous cheers. The group responded with a set of originals and a cover of “Where is My Mind” by Pixies that filled the room and won the audience over with its pure danceability and rollicking riffs. They finished their set by handing out cooked spaghetti to those lucky and brave enough to be at the front of the packed basement. I walked away believing in mist rock.

Luna and the Carpets are going to break your heart, but not tonight. The duo, who's next single will be released on September 30th, cite the moon and long-distance relationships as some songwriting inspirations. But don’t let that fool you, the pair (and their band) can absolutely rock out while staying true to their deeply moving sound.

“It’s fun to get up there and thrash my head around and blow out my voice a little bit,” Anjali Engstrom (½ of the duo, along with Grace Ferguson) says. Though the band’s sound falls more on the acoustic side, they’re not afraid of leaning into the manic energy of Redgate, “I feel like a bitch in a good way!”

They opened with “Sunday Morning” by No Doubt, which was a major crowd-pleaser and showcased Luna and the Carpets’ powerful blend of voices. They went through some of their originals, which featured distinct musicality not in spite of but complemented by the feverish and distorted sounds of the basement. Their striking versatility has taken Luna and the Carpets from singing together on the carpet of their freshman dorm room to gripping audiences at Redgate.

Subject to Change took the stage around midnight, where the more committed showgoers held out amid the humidity. The six-piece band was decked out in wacky 70s attire. 

“No show we’ve played has been like it,” Sam Zarrelli says about the crowd at Redgate, “so many people.” The band was up to the challenge of closing such a show, with their quippy lyrics and hearty bass lines, there’s a stability to them in the midst of what some would describe as chaos. 

Their set, including their originals and a cover of “Kiwi” by Harry Styles, took the audience home and delivered the hallmarks of the eclectic, homemade, and totally groovy music that the house scene at Syracuse so consistently brings to audiences.