Be sure to let us know how it went.
I had never been to the
venue before; it's an art gallery in a mill district in a city near where I used to live.... a city that no one particularly likes. Joyce and I were going to open a photography studio there and we would likely have done very well, but neither of us liked the city beforehand, and living there for a couple of years after we were married did nothing to change our mind.
The venue was nice, though. Two hundred and fifty seats when full. The acoustics were pretty good and the sound system was just installed the previous year. I sat center-stage, about 20' back and the show was sold out.
I didn't realize that there was an opening act....
Plume Giant... and I was impressed. Very folksy, which I'm not normally into. But the trio had a great vibe and were very impressive musicians, trading instruments among each other and harmonizing very well. After their performance, I bought the EP and LP they had available in the lobby. Having listened to each several times since, my impression hasn't changed: I really like them.
This seems pretty typical of them, though the sound quality isn't great on this clip.
Lake Street Dive's performance gave me a much better appreciation of them as musicians. I don't think anyone who read the above posts couldn't figure out that I have a bit of a crush on Rachael....and her voice didn't disappoint. What surprised me is how much I learned to appreciate everyone else. Mike Calabrese wasn't just a "drummer", he really is a percussionist extraordinaire. Often playing the drum kit one handed to keep a tambourine in one hand, or sometimes playing drums with both hands while still holding and playing the tambourine, he was just fantastic. What I didn't expect based upon the YouTube clips and their studio releases, is that he's a very dynamic and fast drummer. Actually, the band as a whole was much more dynamic and...if this makes sense... very tight and yet very loose at the same time.
Bassist Bridget Kearney, who only plays an upright acoustic bass, had some fantastic solos.
And Mike Olson, who plays trumpet and guitar, sounded much better live as well. For several songs, his rhythm guitar had an aggressive "bite" that isn't on the studio recordings.
I know it shouldn't be hard to appreciate musicians on their studio albums when there are only four in the band, yet I kept thinking that all of them had distinct traits and individually had great talent which was much more apparent live. Yet together, it was just like watching four long-term friends hanging out. Tight, yet loose.
And having met them before the show, were all very easy going, casual people.
It was a fun show. I'm going to keep their calendar in mind as I'd like to catch them again.
Speaking of which, I see Plume Gint has an upcoming date in Cleveland and LSD has a couple of Washington State shows in March.
Thanks again, Jack, for bringing them to our attention!
