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Communion: January 2014
photo credit: communionmusic.com
The Lone Bellow Setlist
Communion February Schedule
Feb 04 Rockwood Music Hall - New York, NY
Feb 05 Gypsy Sally's - Washington, DC Feb 06 Underground Arts - Philadelphia, PA Feb 11 The Bluebird - Bloomington, IN Feb 12 Zanzabar - Louisville, KY Feb 13 Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN Feb 18 Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN Feb 19 Frequency - Madison, WI Feb 20 Ribco - Rock Island, IL Read More
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“Who likes it a little warmer inside?”
…and by inside… I MEAN inside the Varsity Theater…!”
89.3 The Current personality/evening MC (as well as resident DJ between acts) Jade teased before introducing Jackson, MS by-way-of Nashville band The Weeks for this month’s installment of Communion, a monthly series spotlighting noteworthy local acts as well as up-and-coming national bands.
The initial Communion Club Night was in London in 2006, begun by Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons), Kevin Jones (Bear’s Den), and producer Ian Grimble (Manic Street Preachers), and the concept has now spread to Australia, as well as to these shores in a few select cities.
The fourth such event to hit the Varsity Theater brought the aforementioned southern indie-rockers as well as locals Skittish, Southwire, and Red Daughters, and Brooklyn-based Americana trio The Lone Bellow to headline a very full night of music. The floor of the venue also featured wares from select area merchants representing vintage clothing, used books, and food, to give the overall spirit of the event more of a mini-festival feel.
Area bands Skittish and Southwire started the 5+ hour night and the music became decidedly swampier and muddier with locals Red Daughters taking the stage for a stomping 30 min. set. A five-piece band that mostly features their drummer as vocalist, they're marked by a twangy backwoods sound that evokes a classic rock sensibility with modern alternative, in a mix that has previously had them open for the likes of Dawes, Jason Isbell, and IAMDYNAMITE.
Jackson, Mississippi never had it this cold. Or so we told several times between songs when The Weeks hit the stage for their 40 min. performance, in support of their latest, Dear Bo Jackson (on Kings of Leon’s Serpents & Snakes Records).
Although relaxed and also taken aback by the amount of local support in attendance for the band, the four-piece took a while to get truly comfortable and were off to a slightly slow start; maybe in part to the colder-than-cold outside temps, and the fact that keyboardist Alex “Admiral” Collier was knocked out of the show, due to a recent auto accident.
Opening with the churning ‘King Sized Death Bed’, it’s easy to see why Kings of Leon signed them to their imprint, alongside The Features, Snowden, and Turbo Fruits. Though down to only four members for the show, they had hair enough for twice that, with vocalist Cyle Barnes swinging his mane back and forth with the beat of each song.
‘Teary-Eyed Woman’ from their 2008 release Comeback Cadillac seemed to ease the band into a more comfortable zone and give them the confidence to put on a show, even without their missing keyboardist.
Ending their set with ‘Buttons’ with its lyrics, “You know, I know it's not that bad, take a look at what we had”, the band seemed to find its groove a little late, but showed promise towards the end; enough so, that they might be worth checking out again in a full headlining show, maybe in a warmer month and with their keyboardist back.
Brooklyn trio The Lone Bellow then took the stage for an abbreviated, but no less spirited 70 min. set of songs drawn from their debut self-titled full-length (on Descendent/Sony BMG). We just saw the band in late October, and since then, the continuous months of touring have further honed their commanding stage presence, precise harmonies, and overall rapport with their audiences.
Singer Zach Williams along with Brian Elmquist - guitar, vocals and Kanene Donehey-Pipkin - mandolin, vocals (touring with husband Jason Pipkin - banjo/bass, Brian Griffin – drums) had the crowd with them from their first song, opening with a trio of “You” songs – ‘You Can Be All Kinds of Emotional’, ‘You Never Need Nobody’ and ‘You Don't Love Me Like You Used To’.
The raucous ‘Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold’ followed, making me wonder why this infectious clap-a-long isn’t on radio airwaves everywhere. Guitarist Elmquist took over lead vocals for a passionate ‘Georgia Will’; after which, he remarked, "I can't breathe, I can't feel my legs" huffing out of breath.
‘Two Sides of Lonely’ slowed things down, introduced by Williams as "a sad country song", before tempo picked back up with a soaring ‘Tree to Grow’. The anthemic ‘Bleeding Out’ was next, marked by strong chorus lyrics, “Breathing in, breathing out, it’s all in my mouth, gives me hope that I’ll be, something worth bleeding out” that ebb, then flow, to take flight without abandon.
A touching cover of John Prine’s ‘Angel from Montgomery’ was next done impromptu, dedicated to the ailing Prine, Williams saying, "We weren't going to play this song...but the powers that be...", alluding to several crowd members yelling for the song all evening.
Then, as band introductions were underway, Elmquist broke into a light-hearted Edwin McCain cover of ‘I’ll Be’ that was surprisingly authentic and had the audience singing along. Pipkin then took the lead for her signature song, ‘Button’, perfectly balancing melody and a slight drawl that then grew into a bluesy, edged vocal.
The band ended their set with an extended ‘The One You Should've Let Go’, proving again on this night, that The Lone Bellow is one of the most mesmerizing live acts amongst the current mass of so-called alt-country bands.
Having seen their other Americana musical contemporaries in concert previously (The Civil Wars, which share the same producer, The Lumineers, and The Avett Brothers), The Lone Bellow is head and shoulders above those others, in terms of live performance, and is a band worth keeping on your radar.
So, Communion ended with a flourish for January’s edition—successful in fulfilling the dictionary definition of the word- “the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, esp. when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level”. Bring on February’s edition….!
…and by inside… I MEAN inside the Varsity Theater…!”
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Varsity Theater marquee
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The initial Communion Club Night was in London in 2006, begun by Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons), Kevin Jones (Bear’s Den), and producer Ian Grimble (Manic Street Preachers), and the concept has now spread to Australia, as well as to these shores in a few select cities.
The fourth such event to hit the Varsity Theater brought the aforementioned southern indie-rockers as well as locals Skittish, Southwire, and Red Daughters, and Brooklyn-based Americana trio The Lone Bellow to headline a very full night of music. The floor of the venue also featured wares from select area merchants representing vintage clothing, used books, and food, to give the overall spirit of the event more of a mini-festival feel.
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Red Daughters
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The Weeks
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Although relaxed and also taken aback by the amount of local support in attendance for the band, the four-piece took a while to get truly comfortable and were off to a slightly slow start; maybe in part to the colder-than-cold outside temps, and the fact that keyboardist Alex “Admiral” Collier was knocked out of the show, due to a recent auto accident.
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The Weeks' Cyle Barnes
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‘Teary-Eyed Woman’ from their 2008 release Comeback Cadillac seemed to ease the band into a more comfortable zone and give them the confidence to put on a show, even without their missing keyboardist.
Ending their set with ‘Buttons’ with its lyrics, “You know, I know it's not that bad, take a look at what we had”, the band seemed to find its groove a little late, but showed promise towards the end; enough so, that they might be worth checking out again in a full headlining show, maybe in a warmer month and with their keyboardist back.
Brooklyn trio The Lone Bellow then took the stage for an abbreviated, but no less spirited 70 min. set of songs drawn from their debut self-titled full-length (on Descendent/Sony BMG). We just saw the band in late October, and since then, the continuous months of touring have further honed their commanding stage presence, precise harmonies, and overall rapport with their audiences.
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The Lone Bellow's Zach Williams and Kanene Donehey-Pipkin
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The raucous ‘Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold’ followed, making me wonder why this infectious clap-a-long isn’t on radio airwaves everywhere. Guitarist Elmquist took over lead vocals for a passionate ‘Georgia Will’; after which, he remarked, "I can't breathe, I can't feel my legs" huffing out of breath.
‘Two Sides of Lonely’ slowed things down, introduced by Williams as "a sad country song", before tempo picked back up with a soaring ‘Tree to Grow’. The anthemic ‘Bleeding Out’ was next, marked by strong chorus lyrics, “Breathing in, breathing out, it’s all in my mouth, gives me hope that I’ll be, something worth bleeding out” that ebb, then flow, to take flight without abandon.
A touching cover of John Prine’s ‘Angel from Montgomery’ was next done impromptu, dedicated to the ailing Prine, Williams saying, "We weren't going to play this song...but the powers that be...", alluding to several crowd members yelling for the song all evening.
Then, as band introductions were underway, Elmquist broke into a light-hearted Edwin McCain cover of ‘I’ll Be’ that was surprisingly authentic and had the audience singing along. Pipkin then took the lead for her signature song, ‘Button’, perfectly balancing melody and a slight drawl that then grew into a bluesy, edged vocal.
|
The Lone Bellow is one of the most mesmerizing live acts...
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Having seen their other Americana musical contemporaries in concert previously (The Civil Wars, which share the same producer, The Lumineers, and The Avett Brothers), The Lone Bellow is head and shoulders above those others, in terms of live performance, and is a band worth keeping on your radar.
So, Communion ended with a flourish for January’s edition—successful in fulfilling the dictionary definition of the word- “the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, esp. when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level”. Bring on February’s edition….!
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The Lone Bellow at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (21 Jan 2014) |
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