By Jared Rowland / Photos from Jeanisha Mariah

Vir Batra & Jesse Herman, Jordyn Tareaz, and Anish Ghosh put on a unique and fun show at the Nail Salon

On Thursday Night Syracuse students gathered in their best costumes at the house dubbed the “Nail Salon,” at a show that kicked off a weekend full of Halloween entertainment. The crowd crammed themselves into the small living room, all eager for the show to begin.

The show was opened up by the duo of Vir Batra and Jesse Herman who played an assortment of original and cover songs. The two had an interesting twist on the normal performance with jams that transitioned into each of the songs. They started off with “Flashing Lights,” an original by Vir Batra which led into a cover of “Someday” by The Strokes. The Bandier guitarists then gave their rendition of “Mardy Bum” by The Arctic Monkeys which was jammed into “Streets of Love,” another track by Vir Batra. Jesse and Vir wowed the crowd with impressive solos and improvisations, and didn’t stop playing once while doing it.

Following Vir & Jesse was Jordan Tareaz, another up and coming singer/songwriter from Syracuse. She was accompanied on stage by Maria Nido on guitar, Sam Parrish on bass, and Kate Diament on drums. The group, joined by Jesse Herman on guitar, opened with a cover of “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse, to which the crowd seemed to know every word. After this, Jordyn went on to play two of her own songs, “So Good” and “Selfish.” The band went on to finish their set with a laidback mashup cover of “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish and “traitor” by Olivia Rodrigo. After the show, Jordyn expressed a lot of excitement for being able to perform again since the pandemic. This was her second time performing at a house show, and she will be sure to dazzle more crowds in the near future.

The night closed with Anish Ghosh who brought a unique flare that I have not yet seen in the Syracuse music scene. Anish was accompanied by Ben Deetz on guitar. They started off their set with a cover of the song “Flight319” by 070 Shake. They then played “reasons,” a song by Anish’s high school band Deep Seas. They finished off with “Leaves from the Vine,” which interpolates a tune of the same name from the hit television show Avatar. His set came with unmatched energy, with one song ending in shrieking grunge-like vocals. 

The Nail Salon proved once again to be a great venue for Syracuse’s up and coming artists. Vir & Jesse, Jordyn, and Anish all showcased their distinctive talents, with a mix of their own renditions on popular music, to show off their own originals. Thursday night’s house party was the perfect way to kick off a great weekend of Halloween shows.