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Arts & Entertainment

Local Band Rattles the Walls at Brickhouse Brewery

A jazzy rock trio that hails from Long Island performs at one of Patchogue's hippest venues.

The Sun Gets Down (TSGD) got down at the Brick House Brewery on .  The Long Island group with a "jam band" sound for the new millennium had the Patchogue pub (which was packed as usual) hypnotized with their singular fusion of gritty guitar riffs, complex jazz chords and poignant lyrics; intensely delivered by the soulful lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and Robert Pattinson lookalike Ryan Engelbert.

Engelbert, James Boone on guitar/ bass guitar and Dan Burke on drums were joined for a few stand-out tunes by Mike Landry on guitar, close friend and producer of TSGD's forthcoming album Ties to the Grid.

The band members are all in their early 20s, yet convey a cool confidence and self-assurance far beyond their years.

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 TSGD promoter Eric "E.J." Dash said of the band that has been together for three years, "They are very hard to categorize.  They are a mix of jazz, funk and esoteric rock."  He added, "That's 1972; who uses a wah-wah pedal anymore."

The band, decked out in retro dark suits, white shirts and black ties delivered three sets of non-stop original music.

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This was the second time TSGD played the Brickhouse main stage.  The establishment's entertainment director James Skidmore plucked them from one of Wednesday's Open Mic nights where his diamond in the rough meter went off the charts.  Skidmore said, "They attract a nice, young crowd that's respectful and responsible ... They show a lot of promise."

The group effortlessly turned out one expansive sonic explosion after another, filled with long stretches of fluid instrumental jams interspersed with cryptic lyrics.  The unconventionally charismatic singer kept his eyes closed for much of the time, perhaps fixated on a rich inner landscape from which the otherworldly melodies were emanating.  Engelbert occasionally made eye contact only to withdraw once more leaving the audience waiting for another glimpse beyond the veil.

Even the "Beatle-esque" suits, rather than coming across as gimmicky, merely added to the mystery of who TSGD really are.

This is a band whose focus is on content and not form.  These subversive performers project ambiguity in the guise of the familiar.

TSGD appeared to be playing for their own enjoyment, unaware (or too lost in trance) to care whether anyone was watching, thus imbuing their set with a faux-voyeuristic thrill.

They saved their catchiest song "You Gotta Believe in Something" for their second set.  Engelbert, the anti-hero of front men stared right into the crowd and sang, "I believe in just one thing ..." What came after was intentionally unintelligible.

For more information go to www.thesungetsdown.com or their myspace. The band will also be performing live every Tuesday this summer at Declan Quinn's in Bay Shore.

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