[Portland, OR] Husky-voiced desert – weird but accurate summary. Two things
struck me: 1) they extract really lovely sounds from their instruments, real
jams from the mandolin, some guitar groove, some intricate guitar, ultimately a
really round warm perfect sound, 2) the main singing brother has got a
distinctive style, like sort of clipped, even when speaking, or a (not
emotional) side-sneer, it’s a big part of their sound, not sure if contrived.
They are very Mumford & Sons but there were some songs (which I liked more)
that were sultry blues or drone goth country (Jim White). They covered Joe
Cocker’s ‘Feelin’ Alright,’ Neil Young’s ‘Old Man,’ Johnny Cash’s ‘Folsom Prison
Blues.’ There were some great country folk hoedowns. They ended with a cover of
a Ray LaMontagne song. At intermission, I met another former coworker of TheBirds&TheBeesANDTheFlowers’s
who roped me into an insane conversation with her too-bright blue eyes about
dogs that have died and complicated relationships. Then the guy who slept
through the last house concert (one of the other somewhat young people)
I-am-positive shifted his chair so I was blocked in the bathroom. As they ended on an intensely sappy song on what love means, and I had too much wine for too little food, my notes devolved into being happy I’m back in the fold with my person of interest,
curses against past partners And their mothers, disappointments in my poor
mother, and wonderings on what all the older and wiser people around me were thinking.
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