Old City Hall was busier than usual when they hosted two bands that attracted music lovers from across the state. The band Dirty Paris from Albany, stopped at Old City for its first appearance last Saturday.

Accompanied by House on a Spring, Oswego locals and veterans of Old City Hall, the show began promptly at 10 p.m. Led by its pianist and lead vocalist Dmitriy Bolotny, Dirty Paris was first to play. Bolotny moved between his four keyboards in a seamless way all the while lending his voice to just about every song. When Bolotny was not singing, the vocals were taken over by guitarist Thomm Lafond and bassist Chris Duffy. Thomm Lafond rocked the crowd with multiple-guitar soloing, leading the groove which translated onto the dance floor, taking the music to newer and better heights as each song progressed.

What is unique about Dirty Paris besides its music, is a blend of electronic-jazz fusion with strong jam-band influence, which has established them on the jam scene as an up-and-coming artist. The band is booking continuous festival bills. But what makes them even more special is its youthfulness.

All of the members of the band are in their early-to-mid 20s, but they play together like a band of road warriors who have been touring for years. Dirty Paris’ first set was played in front of a crowd of about 25 to 30 active listeners who swayed back and forth to every song in unison with the occasional improvisation, which would cause a stir in the crowd and turn the swaying into dancing. After they took a break for House on a Springs’ set, they came back for their second set and dug deeper into their arsenal of songs to get the crowd at Old City on its feet and grooving.

Dirty Paris came back and the crowd grew to about 40 people swarming in a semi-circle around the band, playing what the people wanted to hear. The crowd was fully interested in this set and the dance floor became the center of attention as the bustling bar continued to do business.

Despite Dirty Paris having to make a last minute replacement when their drummer Kevin Urvalek could not make it to the show, they played well past midnight to a crowd of grateful music lovers. Bolotny who had never been to Oswego before, was pleased with the outcome.

“I didn’t expect this many people to show up,” Bolotny said.

After Dirty Paris played their last song they left it up to House on a Spring who had the crowd moving to its dub-reggae sound for one last set.

Based on crowd reaction, House on a Spring was just as good as Dirty Paris because everyone shifted over about 10 feet and kept on grooving.