We started off the evening a little late after celebrating IPA Day at the Brew Works with some tasty cask IPA and then it was off to check out what the 80s-themed Preview Night at Musikfest had to offer. We unfortunately missed out on Sunshine Symphony but caught quite a bit of M80’s set. They went through, well, a lot of 80s stuff like “Your Love” by The Outfield and Motley Crue. One of the newer additions to the band, Tyler Grady, is a welcome one. His flamboyant swagger adds a great presence to compliment his fiery-haired counterpart Jane Train. Grady’s stellar voice, which local newspapers will love to tell you landed him on American Idol, was one of the best selling points of this band. His high head register helped make their cover of The Darkness’s “I Believe In a Thing Called Love” a memorable one.
Next up was Rubix Kube, an insane cover band who seem to have more outfits than a Halloween shop. Their cover of “Billie Jean” was fair enough not to make MJ roll over in his grave, and their covers of Hall & Oates and Paula Abdul were all fun and on-point, especially with their costumes. We’re not really fans of cover bands, but it seems that the male/female co-leads really make for a powerful combo that keeps the entertainment flowing. Couple that with Rubix Kube’s huge energy, coordination, and again, zany outfits, and you have a winning combo. Hell, lead singer Cherie Martorana’s Cher outfit was one of the ballsiset and best-pulled off things we’ve seen in a while. If you’re gonna go see a cover band, these guys are worth the time. And with that, we’ll be back tomorrow with more picks and a recap of tonight’s opening night,
