There was magic in the air, and I’m pretty sure it had a lot to do with Elliott Smith (RIP). His spirit was with us. Poor Bailey obviously worships him, Wild Sweet orange played a song of theirs called "Either/Or" (also the name of an Elliott Smith record, and a damn good one at that) and Audrye Sessions...well, keep reading to find out what their amazing tribute to Mr. Smith was.
The first act was called Poor Bailey; basically, this guy was in a band that was later broken apart because of relationship issues (he was dating the girl he used to collaborate with and then it went badly...) anyhow, he’s just a solo artist now. And he’s doing a fine job at it. His range is excellent, mixing a very distinctive voice, Elliott Smith influenced songwriting (that is VERY obvious) and guitars that sound like something out of a Matt Costa record. Midway through the set, he invited Ryan (Audrye Sessions’ lead singer) up and they collaborated on a pretty, slow, acoustic number. The contrast of their voices was striking: Ryan’s is very high whereas Poor Bailey ranged from a tenor to a scratchy pseudo-baritone. He mentioned how his first concert was at GAMH, seeing John Stewart (the musician) and how he was honored to be on the same stage that Elliott Smith once played on (he was lucky enough to see that concert as well). He concluded his set with an anthem which declared “leave me alone, psycho bitch”, ending his somewhat dreary string of songs with a forceful declaration of independence.
The verdict: 3.75/5
Wild Sweet Orange: the lead singer wanted it made clear that their band name has a singular unit of citrus, not plural. Orange. One. Communal. Yeah.
This PHENOMENAL band hails from Birmingham, Alabama. He told the audience that he believed that we are a generation that can and will change the world. Their debut is appropriately named “We Have Cause To Be Uneasy”. I fell in love instantaneously with their fantastic, original sound: think Sigur Ros meets Lynard Skynard. Yeah, I know, a WEIRD combo, but did you ever think of how cool it would be to have an American Radiohead? Well, I dare say it: this band has a lot more talent than Radiohead does. I mean, ok I will not discount the brilliance of Thom Yorke and co, but it’s really nice to see that you can get that awesome transcendental feel from an obscure indie band. I was SO tempted to pull out my pipe, but I told myself NO, I must be sober to experience them for the first time. Once I get some reading done, I will light up and crack their record on the old turn table. Expect a record review in the near future. Let me just say this: it was released on the same day as Vampire Weekend’s debut and it is SO MUCH BETTER. I wish I had been listening to this band since January. Well, I’ve gotta make up for lost time…I was worried that their recorded stuff wouldn't emulate the perfection of their live sound, and I was right. Their record is amazing, but nowhere near as good as what they sound like in person. Watch the video below to get a taste:
The verdict: 5+/5. hello new favourite band. or at least musical obsession for at least a few months. nobody will ever replace The Strokes as my favourite band...
Now, by the time that headliners Audrye Sessions came along, I was just about all done for. The concert just couldn’t get better in my opinion. Audrye Sessions simply perpetuated the ABSOLUTE PERFECTION that Wild Sweet Orange began. They played a fantastic set, and sporadically invited different musicians to play with them: at one point there were 11 people on stage from a trombone player to a cellist to a bunch of guitarists (Poor Bailey actually came up again, which was pretty cool). I nearly cried when Ryan sang “Waltz #2” as the first encore song. I never hear covers of my favourite Elliot Smith song, and let’s put it simply: Ryan did the song SO much justice. If AS’ music was a drug, it would be one of those which just made you feel good in your skin (heroin, etc) while also sustaining an out of body experience. I kept thinking that this band couldn’t possibly be from Earth. The Radiohead parallels are uncanny: their live set is ass-kickingly good, but you SWAY to it, not mosh.
Set list:
Turn Me Off
Julianna
(sample)
The Crows Came In
(sample)
Awake
(piano interlude by Dustin)
(early in the morning reverse sample)
Perfect Sometimes
New Years Day
Relentless (cello and violin)
Where You’ll Find Me (extra horns and glocks)
Encore:
Waltz #2 (solo)
Nothing Pure Can Stay
The verdict: 4.95/5
and now for some mp3s. download them all, but be sure to download the Wild Sweet Orange songs. they are amazing.
Poor Bailey - Mary Lee, My One and Only [mp3]
Wild Sweet Orange - House of Regret [mp3 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!]
Wild Sweet Orange - Crickets [mp3 SUPER DUPER HIGHLY RECOMMENDED WITH 5 CHERRIES ON TOP!!!]
if you want to hear their defining sound that combines crazy good guitar riffs with a pretty Radiohead like sound, look no further. if you're only going to download one song, make it this one.
Wild Sweet Orange - Either/Or [mp3 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! ]
Wild Sweet Orange - Ten Dead Dogs [mp3 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!]
Wild Sweet Orange - Aretha's Gold [mp3, EXTRA HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!]
Audrye Sessions - Turn Me Off [mp3]
Audrye Sessions - Waltz #2 (XO) (Elliott Smith cover) [mp3, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!]
Audrye Sessions - Perfect Sometimes [mp3]
please please please support these phenomenal bands by going to shows and buying music. last night's concert was one of the best of my life. here are some remaining Audrye Sessions tour dates
3-Oct Colorado Springs, CO The Black Sheep
5-Oct Chicago, IL Schubas (w/Wild Sweet Orange)
7-Oct Denver, CO The Soiled Dove (w/Wild Sweet Orange)
8-Oct pending pending
9-Oct Boise, ID Neurolux (w/Wild Sweet Orange)
11-Oct Portland, OR Someday Lounge (w/Wild Sweet Orange)
12-Oct Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern (w/Wild Sweet Orange)
14-Oct San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall (w/Wild Sweet
15-Oct Sacramento, CA Blue Lamp
16-Oct Los Angeles, CA Hotel Cafe
19-Oct Wichita, KS The Murdock Theater (w/Wild Sweet Orange)
20-Oct Aimes, IA Maintenance Shop
21-Oct Cleveland OH Agora Ballroom
22-Oct NYC, NY Bowery Ballroom (CMJ)
25-Oct Watertown, NY Velocity
26-Oct Lansing, MI Mac's Bar
27-Oct Columbus, OH The Basement
28-Oct Mt. Vernon, IL The Living Room
15-Nov Tinley Park, IL Mojoe's Rock House
16-Nov Lakewood, OH Hi-Fi Club
18-Nov Buffalo, NY Xtreme Wheels
19-Nov Altoona, PA Jaggard Umc
20-Nov Hartford, CT Webster Underground
21-Nov Albany, NY Valentine's
22-Nov Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock Café
23-Nov Poughkeepsie, NY Platinum Lounge
25-Nov Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
26-Nov Philadelphia, PA The Khyber
visit the bands on MYSPACE to listen to more tunes and stuff:
Poor Bailey
Wild Sweet Orange
Audrye Sessions
2 comments:
Your writing just seems to get better and better, taking a look at album reviews and even the last live review you did. Your bias can come through, but at least you're unabashed about it and seem to have the ability to be more objective if a group you like simply just doesn't do something good.
I really like shows that showcase a collaborative musical scene, people who play together or riff off each other during sets, it really makes local shows so much better. The local rock/alt scene in Fort Worth is pretty good, not great, but there is a lot of friendship in that group and our band has made some good connections that only serve to better us and the local scene, and I am very grateful for that.
But yeah, the review sounds great, I'll have to look these groups up, and WSO sounds AWESOME.
thanks. your feedback is greatly appreciated
the quality of my writing usually comes down to how often I write. as I am a college student with a CRAZY schedule, I don't have much time to pursue my goal of reviewing all of my records (this will probably take years haha) so it comes down to however many shows I go to plus the new records I really really like (or have been eagerly awaiting)
I'm wearing my WSO shirt now =) http://gomerch.com/interface/body.php?module=store&id=28
middle one, top row, and it's a lot more yellow than in the photo
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