"That was so good!" somebody spontaneously yelled out after the second song of Shearwater's Wednesday night set at The Earl - I think it was You As You Were, but my memory might not be correct - and he was right, it was so good. Shearwater played an absolutely transcendental set in support of their new album, Animal Joy. It might be too early to declare their performance as Concert of the Year, but they set the bar pretty high for those who follow.
Atlanta's Lily and the Tigers opened. I like this band - I saw them open for Viva Voce during last year's Rocktober, and was glad to hear them again. I like their somewhat unusual instrumentation - guitar, violin, oboe, stand-up bass, and drums - and their commitment to acoustic performance, and singer Casey Hood (there is no "Lily" in the band) has a great voice. They're playing tonight at The Goat Farm, opening for Atlanta's Little Tybee, but I probably won't go as I'm fighting a cold.
My only disappointment with Shearwater's set was revealed as they set up - the band's line up had changed since they last played Atlanta, and charismatic percussionist Thor was not with them, nor was their innovative bass player, Kimberly. Both musicians made significant contributions on Shearwater's previous albums, but as the band started playing Wednesday night, their solid musicianship made up for the loss of any familiar faces.
Shearwater's music can simultaneously convey drama and bliss, beauty and strength, and live, their songs are far more dramatic and daring then they sound recorded. The leaner, no-frills band on this tour rendered the music brawnier than their past efforts. The new songs from Animal Joy, which made up most of the set, positively snarled at times, even as Jonathan Meiburg's falsetto singing gracefully glided over the instrumentation. Leviathan Bound is the only song from their earlier albums, the Island Arc trilogy, that I recall them playing (although to be fair, there might have been more). With the sparer instrumentation on this tour, Shearwater's performance is more focused on Meiburg's singing than ever before, and this is a good thing, as his voice is one of indie rock's current treasures.
As I've said before, all music without exception is a direct expression of the buddha-dharma, although it's easier to realize that with some musics than other. It's eminently apparent with Shearwater. If you aren't familiar with their music, you really owe it to yourself to check out the full album stream for Animal Joy as long as they leave it on line - I've posted it here for your convenience. I'm not sure how long it will remain available.
The show was a bit of a homecoming for Mr. Meiburg, who's originally from Atlanta (the band is based in Austin) and the audience was very receptive and enthusiastic - they were all obviously fans of the band. The camaraderie between performers and audience allowed for a lot of very relaxed and spontaneous banter between songs - it was apparent that Meiburg and the band felt very comfortable, both in their relationship with the audience and with the obvious quality of their new material. They even made a playful reference to covering Stop Dragging My Heart Around with Sharon Van Etten at the Bowery Ballroom in New York last weekend.
Mr. Meiburg's birthday was the next day - he turned 36 at midnight, just after they concluded their set, and the audience sang Happy Birthday to him before the encore. It occurred to me that being born on March 1 means that every four years, you have to wait one extra day before your birthday. It must be frustrating on a child.
As he did last year, Mr. Meiburg sang the first song of the encore solo (or nearly solo, he was accompanied only by their fine keyboardist), before the rest of the band joined him on stage for their final number.
After the set, the smiling audience wandered out of the club and into the wet Georgia night, blissful and satisfied, and happy in the knowledge that Shearwater are coming back to Atlanta on May 19, when they open for St. Vincent at Variety Playhouse.
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