A few years ago, John Darnielle said in an interview with Pitchfork, “I think you don’t see a stage presence like Heather McEntire’s more than a few times in your life.” On Tuesday night at The Middle East, it felt like everyone in the room was in her orbit. Somewhat sheepish and understated between songs, she performs like a coiled spring, light on her feet, full of a truly magnetic energy. The rest of Mount Moriah are introverted performers but are so technically gifted as musicians that it works well to balance McIntire’s passion with their understated excellence.
The set featured a solid mix of How to Dance, their fantastic new album, with previous efforts Miracle Temple (2013) and their self-titled debut (2012). They kicked off with “Calvander,” the opening track on How to Dance. McIntire almost sneered the refrain, “I swear to God tonight / Those Jacksonville boys ain’t gonna find / Sweet company.” They followed with “Bright Light” and “Eureka Springs,” two songs with great, grooving rhythms from Miracle Temple.
McIntire introduced “Baby Blue,” as “the heart of the new album.” The song showcases Jenks Miller’s gifts as a lead guitarist as he adds texture to McIntire’s vocals with runs that circle and linger around the lyric.
Other highlights from the night were “Precita,” the first single from How to Dance, “Social Wedding Rings,” and “I Built a Town.” For the encore, which happened after a brief huddle on stage, McIntire said, “Does anybody have a tambourine? I forgot mine in the van.” “I have some keys,” a fan said. Shrugging, McIntire took a few sets of keys from folks in the crowd and made it work for a stirring rendition of “Lament.”
Mount Moriah came north from North Carolina for this tour, and I certainly hope they’ll be back soon. Tour dates are here and make sure to check out their albums–they are all so good.