David Wax Museum, WGBY Asparagus Festival, Hadley Town Common, Hadley, MA 6/1/14

For those of us that grew up on the more rural side of the suburbs, we know concerts on the town common all too well. It's always some marching band playing Sousa's finest, or maybe you'll hear the most horrific version of "The Sound of Music" you've ever heard. It's not where you'd expect to find nationally touring musicians.

WBGY put on this year's Asparagus Festival, complete with paper asparagus hats and local food and craft vendors on the Hadley town common. It's not usually the type of event I'd find myself at, but when my favorite band to see live is playing, I'll make an exception. Playing such a family friendly event is perfect for a band that brings a 6 month old on tour with them, and they even commented that it was the first time they had played before 10:00 pm in a long time. The true beauty of seeing David Wax Museum live is that they perfectly fit their surroundings, from large outdoor festivals in front of thousands to tiny basement clubs. At the Asparagus Festival, they had a crowd of maybe 100. With some existing fans, but mostly made of first timers just checking out a local event on a Sunday afternoon, David Wax Museum played a laid back while still uptempo set that let the audience come to them. Coming out as a stripped down four piece, familiar songs had a new sound. "Born With a Broken Heart" took on an almost pop punk feel, if there is such as thing as Mexican-American pop folk punk. Most of the crowd stayed seating, with the half circle formed around the front of the stage so as not to be rude. It turned into mostly a children's play/dance area, which fit the mood perfectly. Slowly, adults started filling the area to respond to the music. This was led mostly by one woman, who was trying to get them to play "Yes Maria Yes" for a second time. "Unfruitful" was a highlight, as always. Usually this song brings out every member of all opening bands, but today it stayed just the core four piece band of David Wax Museum. Somehow this made the day that much more perfect.

As always, I implore you to check out David Wax Museum when they come to your town. No matter the setting, it is sure to be a fantastic time. Head on over to their website for more information, including tour dates. I also wanted to make sure to mention one of the openers, Miss Tess and the Talkbacks. I didn't see enough of their set to give a true review, but if you like bluesy, jazzy Americana, you'll definitely dig them.