NOVA CHARISMA AT ELSEWHERE IN BROOKLYN

Nova Charisma made their way out to Brooklyn as part of their debut tour. The duo consists of Donovan Melero (Hail the Sun and Sianvar) and Sergio Medina (Royal Coda and Sianvar). For the tour they welcomed Joe Occhiuti on keys (Ice Nine Kills), Carlo Marquez on drums (Stolas), and Aric Garcia on bass (Hail the Sun). For all of these musicians, the stage is not unfamiliar territory, and you could see how comfortable they all were throughout the performance. They played at Elsewhere, which was a cozy, intimate setting. The entire back wall of the venue lit up and provided pretty much the only lighting, but added to the very warm atmosphere already in place. Many of the attendees sported merch from the duo’s previous bands and it was cool to see the way that fans have connected with the various projects.

I think it’s important to note that while Nova Charisma does have some elements and characteristics of the other projects the duo have been involved in, that the project does have a fresh new feel to it. It’s important to look at Nova Charisma as its own entity, rather than lumping it in with Hail the Sun, Royal Coda, or Sianvar. While it does have the intricate guitar parts and some of the hectic percussion, there’s also a softness to the project. The addition of the key parts really helps this aspect of it and adds a special layer to the live performance as well.

The crowd bopped up and down as Nova Charisma played through tracks off of their Exposition I and Exposition II releases. They played tracks such as “Diary (Don’t Speak)”, “Hoxton”, and “Misleading the Story”. They even played an adapted version of Sianvar’s “Substance Sequence”. As always, Donovan’s vocals were spot on and Sergio’s guitar tone was beautiful. Even with the stage being on the smaller side, that didn’t stop the duo from still getting a little wild. Donovan pulled his signature mic stand whip move and at some points Sergio was even on the floor. While the crowd didn’t move much, you could still see the excitement. All in all, I’d say it was a very successful show for Nova Charisma. As the band continues to grow and release more music, I’m excited to see where this project ends up.