Occasionally an a
ct comes along that you know will stick with you for life. Even less frequently, two acts come along in your life at a similar time and you get hooked on their music. You cover their songs, you play out their records, you have the utmost respect for their songwriting and musicianship. Last night at The Wilbur Theatre in Boston, two of those forces combined on stage and left an audience in awe of what was unfolding around them.
Kenneth, Joey, Sarah, Alex, Sam, and Nate sauntered out onto the living room themed stage adorned with lamps, a large rug and an old tube radio to a roaring applause from a full house. What unfolded over the next hour and a half was something truly special. Collaborations and arrangements of original material with an entirely new life breathed into them. Covers of everything from The Everly Brothers to Dylan and even Radiohead were sung into 3 mics strategically placed on the stage. No cords, no preamps, just those mics as the 6 musicians elegantly danced around one another trading solos and adding harmonies as the set rolled on.
What truly struck me about this performance was the absolute undeniable evidence that everyone on stage was enjoying this so much. These folks are friends first it seems and collaborators second. That shone through in the performance brilliantly, the banter, and the way that they visibly appreciate what one an other is doing. Get excited when something magic unfolds and keep the momentum moving.
As much as Joey Ryan may disagree, one highlight was the new arrangement of TMCK’s popular tune “Michigan”, the third harmony ala Jarosz brought this song to an entirely different level. All three of the vocalists have such strong and distinct voices that meld together to create something gorgeous.
As a fan I am used to Sarah hopping around from instrument to instrument, but it was also fantastic to see Kenneth Pattengale jumping from dobro, to acoustic guitar, to mandolin and octave mandolin as well. Being in situations like that, it could become awkward, but these folks executed it flawlessly…and of course we got a bit of Joey Ryan’s witty banter between switches.
In conclusion, this was the absolute most brilliant and wonderful show that I have seen in 2014, hands down, without a shadow of a doubt. A record (live or in studio) better come of this because this collaboration is simply too good to not be able to experience over and over again.