|
Tour Dates
06/15 — New York, NY The Slipper Room
06/16 — New York, NY The Slipper Room 06/19 — Atlanta, GA The Earl 06/20 — Nashville, TN High Watt 06/21 — Oxford, MS Lamar Lounge 06/23 — Austin, TX Cactus Cafe Free Download
According to First Avenue: "Christopher Owens is giving away a free acoustic version of his solo album Lysandre tied in with the announcement of a solo acoustic tour in June."
Read More I have been a huge fan of Christopher Owens' previously fronted band, Girls, since they broke out in public acclaim in 2008. I was really bummed a year ago when I learned they broke up, but hopeful when he announced he …
|
Christopher Owens, the songwriter and singer from the now defunct and highly acclaimed indie band Girls, made an appearance at Icehouse on Tuesday night. Adorning the stage was a beautiful bouquet of white lilies in a vase to his right. Shuffling onto the stage and with only a word or two, immediately started right into his set.
With complete reverence, at times I felt as if the crowd at Icehouse didn't know whether they should clap or cheer or be completely silent after each song Christopher played. Given that it was just Christopher, his classical guitar and his ultra-quiet singing voice, I don't blame them. It was hard, at times, to know what he wanted or expected. I got the feeling he just had the urge to come and play his stripped-down songs in each city he passed through, regardless whether or not there were people to play them to or not. Even the bar did its best to remain as quiet as possible, with as little clanking of glasses and other drinkware as possible.
Icehouse was decently populated, too, which was a comforting reality. People have enjoyed the music Christopher Owens has outputted since Girls' first release 'Album' in 2009, and it's no surprise they were still waiting in wonder to this day to see what he still has to offer. Last July he announced his departure from, and consequencing dissolution of, the band Girls. They were wildly popular from their beginnings in 2008, until his announcement of last summer. He started feeling the need to take his songwriting to the next level and not have to rely on a band, including not having to teach and re-teach songs to new members of his touring band.
Over the course of the night, he played around 25 songs, encompassing nearly his entire discography of recorded music: Girls' 'Album', 'Broken Dreams Club', & 'Father, Son, Holy' Ghost', as well as his own 'Lysandre'.
At first, the night felt a bit awkward. Without the usual background chatter and bar/dinner sounds of Icehouse, the crowd was completely silent and engaged. I get the feeling this may have made Christopher feel a bit uneasy, as he may not have expected such a well-mannered crowd. Once he started playing well-known Girls songs such as 'Ghost Train' and 'Laura', the crowd eased up a little at least started cheering with enthusiasm at the ends of each one. At times I felt that if people were more involved and even given in to singing along to songs, it may have given Christopher a bit of a boost to project his voice more as he sang. Had it not been for the reverence of the crowd, his voice may have been completely inaudible and lost in the ambience of the venue.
Playing for nearly an hour and half straight through, with almost no stage banter, highlights of the night included the songs 'Honey Bunny', 'Hellhole Ratrace', 'Summertime' (a personal favorite of his/Girls'), Heartbreaker', 'Lust For Life', 'Saying I Love You', 'Oh My Love', including a cover of Nat King Cole's 'Smile'. He ended the set with 2011's 'Love Like a River', the second to last song off 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost'. Before exiting the stage, he offered up the vase of lilies to the table sitting directly in front of him, a seemingly sweet gesture of gratitude.
Most of his renditions of Girls songs fell a bit flat, missing the added oomph all the instrumentation on the albums contribute, yet on their own sounded intimate and quite beautiful in their own right. His lyrics are impossibly personal and simple, but incredibly effective and emotive. Given Minneapolis was just a few dates into his solo tour, others experiencing him further down the road may encounter a more personalized ...more onstage chatter or even song suggestions from fans in the crowd.
I do enjoy the new direction his music is taking. He didn't play as many off his solo album 'Lysandre' as I was expecting, but all his Girls' songs surely made up for it and were a hit with the crowd in attendance. Catch him on the rest of his tour.
With complete reverence, at times I felt as if the crowd at Icehouse didn't know whether they should clap or cheer or be completely silent after each song Christopher played. Given that it was just Christopher, his classical guitar and his ultra-quiet singing voice, I don't blame them. It was hard, at times, to know what he wanted or expected. I got the feeling he just had the urge to come and play his stripped-down songs in each city he passed through, regardless whether or not there were people to play them to or not. Even the bar did its best to remain as quiet as possible, with as little clanking of glasses and other drinkware as possible.
Icehouse was decently populated, too, which was a comforting reality. People have enjoyed the music Christopher Owens has outputted since Girls' first release 'Album' in 2009, and it's no surprise they were still waiting in wonder to this day to see what he still has to offer. Last July he announced his departure from, and consequencing dissolution of, the band Girls. They were wildly popular from their beginnings in 2008, until his announcement of last summer. He started feeling the need to take his songwriting to the next level and not have to rely on a band, including not having to teach and re-teach songs to new members of his touring band.
Over the course of the night, he played around 25 songs, encompassing nearly his entire discography of recorded music: Girls' 'Album', 'Broken Dreams Club', & 'Father, Son, Holy' Ghost', as well as his own 'Lysandre'.
|
Christopher Owens
|
Playing for nearly an hour and half straight through, with almost no stage banter, highlights of the night included the songs 'Honey Bunny', 'Hellhole Ratrace', 'Summertime' (a personal favorite of his/Girls'), Heartbreaker', 'Lust For Life', 'Saying I Love You', 'Oh My Love', including a cover of Nat King Cole's 'Smile'. He ended the set with 2011's 'Love Like a River', the second to last song off 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost'. Before exiting the stage, he offered up the vase of lilies to the table sitting directly in front of him, a seemingly sweet gesture of gratitude.
Most of his renditions of Girls songs fell a bit flat, missing the added oomph all the instrumentation on the albums contribute, yet on their own sounded intimate and quite beautiful in their own right. His lyrics are impossibly personal and simple, but incredibly effective and emotive. Given Minneapolis was just a few dates into his solo tour, others experiencing him further down the road may encounter a more personalized ...more onstage chatter or even song suggestions from fans in the crowd.
I do enjoy the new direction his music is taking. He didn't play as many off his solo album 'Lysandre' as I was expecting, but all his Girls' songs surely made up for it and were a hit with the crowd in attendance. Catch him on the rest of his tour.
|
Christopher Owens at Icehouse, Minneapolis (06/11/13) |
