By Brian Tucker

The atmosphere of WHQR’s gallery couldn’t have been more appropriate for Wilmington’s Beta Radio to perform March 3^rd as part of the station’s Soup to Nuts Live series. For the series artists are recorded live in front of nearly 70 people at the radio station’s studio gallery in downtown Wilmington. 

Surrounded by a variety of engaging artwork, the show could only have been improved by a fireplace and listeners sitting on the floor like kids at a family gathering. Beta Radio’s music is romantic and sincere, and their heartfelt and folky performance easily echoed those themes.

The band performed much of the material from its debut Seven Sisters along with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Feeling Groovy,” a song singer Ben Mabry said he and fellow guitarist Brent Holloman have played together since the early days of the band.  

Beta Radio played as a full band sans drums, with Edward Sumpter on upright bass, David Pray (from jazz band Aqua Viva) on guitar – it was his birthday to boot. Brent’s wife Amy sat in on piano and glockenspiel and she traded piano for vocals on a new song, “Into the West,” with Brent.

This new song was a spare and haunting number with Mabry on acoustic guitar. Amy’s vocals played out more as ambiance than simply back-up vocals, lending it a ghostly and introspective vibe.  It was a solid companion to the equally arid “Borderline” and “Hello Lovely” in which Mabry played the harmonium.

The recorded performance is scheduled to air on WHQR in a few weeks.