Shook Twins, Stone Seed and Grand Falconer @ the Egyptian Theatre (9/20/13)

I'd never seen the Shook Twins before, but I'd been curious about them for a while, especially since Katelyn and Laurie Shook were born and raised in Idaho.  Indeed, I was so interested in them that I pitched a feature on them to the Boise Weekly (which I thought came out rather well overall).  Anyway, I also got a chance to check out this show thanks to my job.

I counted about 130 people when I got to the Egyptian Theatre.  I don't know how many were there when the Shook Twins played.  I don't know how many people went down to Tom Grainey's to wish a happy birthday to To Entertain U's Seth Brown either (happy belated birthday to him, by the way).

Grand Falconer opened the show.  I'd remembered this local band being good, but I didn't remember them being this good.  Their blend of folk and indie-rock sounded sharper and more balanced than it did before.  They complemented their ringing guitar, warm cello and clean three-part harmonies with stomping, syncopated rhythms.  Their playful, self-deprecating banter was most welcome as well.  Guitarist Michael Johnson joked about their being notoriously awkward onstage, but they didn't seem that way to me (or they were comfortable in their awkwardness, at least).  Over half the crowd was on its feet by the set's end, and those who weren't nodded to the beat in their seats.  I'll look forward to this group's new EP, which they said they've been working on these past eight months (thought it had been a while since I'd seen their name around).

Stone Seed played next.  When the Weekly feature on the Shooks got shared around on Facebook, this band tagged me in a comment asking what they needed to do to get mentioned in the article.  A little pissy, perhaps, but they did kinda have a right--I try to make it a point to mention the openers in my articles, but unfortunately, it slipped my mind with this one.  My bad.  Anyway, this roots group's high energy and smooth grooves did a good job of filling the space of the Egyptian.  Idyltime's Beth Mason looked a little stiff on standup bass (she'd only played with the band for a couple of weeks at this point), but Ty Clayton's guitar and Benett Barr's djembe held down the rhythm just fine.  Lindsey Terrell's sultry harmonies meshed nicely with Clayton's gritty baritone drawl, and her elegant violin solos gave the music some extra spark.  People danced off to the sides, in the aisles and in their seats.

The Shook Twins closed out the night.  I imagine that if, at any point in the proceedings, Katelyn and Laurie Shook came across as smug or calculating, I might have found their plaintive folk tunes and pristine harmonies unbearable (not to mention touches like the Lite Brite that read "SHOOK TWINS" that sat at the foot of the stage).  But since they came across as thoughtful, warm, funny and endearing as Katelyn Shook did when I interviewed her, said tunes and harmonies won me over completely.  As did their sprightly beats, skillful beatboxing and subtle looping.  Indeed, between their offhandedly sophisticated musicianship, their smart, slightly off-kilter lyrics and their expansive, generous spirit (an a capella Tears for Fears cover--why not?), I'm halfway tempted to call them the only real 21st century folk band.  But that sounds way too pretentious for this music, so I'll just say that this was easily one of the best shows I've seen this year.

You can find info on these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to the Record Exchange, To Entertain U and Idaho Live.

The Blaqks, Super Water Sympathy, Hollow Wood and Glimpse Trio @ the Red Room (5/8/13)

This TO Entertain U show caught my interest because it featured the Blaqks, whom I'd wanted to see again for a while, and Super Water Sympathy, whose songs I'd liked quite a bit.  Also, I found the concept of Hollow Wood playing the Red Room intriguing.  Not only had their opening set for Hey Marseilles blown me away, I wondered if the band would actually fit onto that stage.

There were about twenty people at the Red Room when I arrived.  By the time that Super Water Sympathy played, the crowd had grown to about forty-five.  Very respectable for a Wednesday night.

Glimpse Trio opened the show (they really are a trio; for some reason, their bassist just wasn't there).  This Oakland group got added to the bill at the last minute.  Talk about happy accidents: between Mike Sopko's friendly bark and quick, dexterous fretwork and Hamir Atwal's fluid, rock-steady drumming, they made me think of what the Minutemen might sound like if they'd stretched out past the two/three-minute mark more often.  This applied as well to their playfully disorienting tempo shifts and touches of atonality.  A most pleasant surprise and a fine start to the evening.

Hollow Wood played next.  As it turned out, they did indeed fit on that stage and probably would've done so even if cellist Danika McClure and violinist Katelynne Jones had made the gig.  But leaving that aside, this group impressed me once again.  Their gorgeous harmonies, propulsive beats and natty arrangements showed considerable polish and assurance, but their music and stage presence still felt surprisingly fresh and free of self-consciousness.  Adam Jones's jokes and patter struck a similar balance of savvy and candor ("'Are you straight edge?'  And I said, 'I'm buying cigarettes!  What do you think?'").  Here's hoping that they can maintain that balance once they get old enough to stay in the bar after their set.  In any case, the group cast the same spell here that they did at the VaC last month; the audience stayed almost completely silent during each number and burst with applause afterwards.

Boy, you gotta love this Jimmy Valentine lighting.

Super Water Sympathy played next.  With their muscular vocals, anthemic pop-tunes and elaborate, well-honed stage show (smoke, lasers, flashing lights), I'll bet that this Shreveport group was dynamite when they played with Matt Hopper at the Knitting Factory.  By cramming everything into this more modest venue, this became one of those oh-man-you-shoulda-been-there sets.  Ansley Hughes's warm, massive voice soared above Clyde Hargrove's ringing guitar, Billy Hargrove's driving basslines, Jason Mills's airy keyboard and Ryan Robinson's smooth, intricate drumming.  At once tender and powerful.

The Blaqks closed out the night.  I still find their studiously decadent image disquieting, and part of me wonders whether their getting 86'd from the Knitting Factory as well as Jayne Black's departure might portend some ugly scenes down the road.  For the time being, however, there's simply no denying that this is a damn good band.  Danny Blaqk a.k.a. Cary Judd ably stepped into the role of frontperson while Jonny Blaqk a.k.a. Jeremy Coverdale served as the resident Keith Richards.  Their rough vocals put the smart lyrics and well-crafted tunes across winningly.  Meanwhile, the other Blaqks backed them up with snarling riffs, shrieking solos and sturdy, dance-worthy rhythms.  Their strong onstage rapport gave this performance a most welcome collegial if not familial feel.  This group may have some question marks attached to them, but they've got more than their share of exclamation points too.

You can find info on these groups and TO Entertain U on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Wes Malvini and the Red Room.  If you like what you've read and would like to help keep it going, click the yellow "Give" button and donate whatever you can.  Every little bit helps.