Concert Review: Mandolin Orange (The Royale February 9, 2019)
“Man, a lot of people came to hear sad songs tonight,” Andrew Marlin said as Mandolin Orange took the stage to a sold-out crowd at The Royale last weekend. The group’s new record has enjoyed a lot of early success, and you could tell that this was an audience of the faithful: multiple people around me broke into applause with the beginning notes of the first track from Tides of a Teardrop, “Golden Embers,” which led off the night. It was a great tone-setting song for the night: it features beautiful harmonies, a sorrowful accompaniment on the violin, and introduces the rhythm section near the end of the song with their characteristic understatement.
They followed this new song with “Hey Stranger,” a catchy, upbeat song from the last record, Blindfaller, featuring Emily Frantz and her entrancing voice. At that point, folks down front started requesting songs. Usually, you see artists just ignore those requests and keep on plugging, maintaining a fourth wall between themselves and the audience. Instead, Andrew engaged, just shaking his head and smiling: “Not tonight.” It was interesting, because it let people down easy, and they seemed to be able to just put aside their hoped-for songs and enjoy the masterful musicianship we were privileged to witness.
They came right back to Tides of a Teardrop, with “When She’s Feeling Blue.” Most of the night was dedicated to the new record, and you’ll get no argument from me on that decision: it’s an incredible testament to spare songwriting and every player serving the songs. What you realize when you’re listening to Mandolin Orange is how restrained and (I hate this word, but it’s the best one I got right now) tasteful everyone’s playing is. Josh Oliver, on lead guitar, bends notes to layer textures without being overbearing; Joe Westerlund (drums) and Clint Mullican (bass) play a hushed rhythm that feels more like the heartbeat of the music than its motor. I think what many audience members might not understand is just how good you have to be to play in such an understated way; maybe it doesn’t matter if we understand it, as long as we feel it.
It’s worth noting how funny Andrew and Emily are. They had a lot of fun with the idea that their show at The Royale was an early one so the club could reopen as a dance club at 10:00. Emily remarked that she wore her gold pants for the occasion; when an audience member asked if Andrew’s shirt was for the rave too, he said, “Well, it would be, but I always take my shirt off at a rave.” Maybe in part because of this banter that allowed us all some good laughs, the audience was super quiet during the set. Andrew introduced “Late September,” as a way to heal from his mother’s passing, fourteen years ago, and the only thing you could hear in that whole club was his quiet vocal and the band’s spare support. Later in the set, there was a good groove on the floor for “The Wolves,” one of my favorites off the new record.
Later in the set, Andrew encouraged the crowd to sing on “Wildfire,” which chronicles the generational inheritance of racism and hate in our country. Andrew is from Warrenton, North Carolina, and the song begins with his town’s namesake, Joseph Warren. He sings about his own experience growing up there: “I was born a southern son, / In a small southern town where the rebels run wild, / They beat their chests and they swear we’re going to rise again.” Someone in the audience whooped after this line, and Andrew shook his head at him, clearly communicating: that’s a tragic line, dummy. As the chorus so clearly reminds us: “It should have been different.”
The next time Mandolin Orange will be back in the northeast will be The Green Mountain Bluegrass and Roots festival. Early bird tickets are on sale now and you should be there. But for those of you virtually anywhere else in America or Europe, check the tour dates, because this band is out on the road for the next six months and you shouldn’t miss ‘em. We have a gallery of images from the show up on facebook too.
