Butchers Blind at the Parkside Lounge

Butchers Blind formed in the Bellerose section of Queens in 2009 and is comprised of Pete Mancini on guitar and vocals, Christopher Smith on piano, Brian Reilly on bass and Paul Cianciaruso on drums and backing vocals. The band's debut album, 2011's Play for the Films, featured Mancini-penned tunes inspired by his father's travel journals as well as his own cross-country travels. The sophomore album, Destination Blues, also was released in 2011.

At the Parkside Lounge tonight, Butchers Blind creatively fit a piano in front of the small stage. At first listen, the band sounds like a pop band, with simple melody lines that lead to simple choruses. A finer listen unveiled cinematic lyrics presented like random pages of a quaint and charming screenplay. Mancini's soft and sensitive vocal style helped project the vulnerability of a young man wandering through a complex world that consumes him. His gentle guitar fills and Smith's piano frills occasionally lent a country and folk-rock touch to an otherwise pop structure, but live tonight these pop influences dominated over the Americana sound of the band's inspiration. Nevertheless, the band ended its set paying tribute to its musical roots by covering an Uncle Tupelo song.

Butchers Blind will perform at the Mercury Lounge on January 11 and at Pianos on March 8. Visit the band at www.butchersblind.com.