As soon as opening act Greenscreen took the stage, there was something familiar about them. I asked my friend, "Who does that guy on keyboards remind you of?," but I couldn't put a name to the face until the music started and only then did I recognize Christian Ballew of the now-defunct band Christ, Lord. And once I had that context in mind, everything else kicked into place and I recognized Chris Yonker of the band Karaoke and the now-defunct Hello Ocho, as well as members of Atlanta's Faun and a Pan Flute.
Anyway, Greenscreen surprised me with a really great set of new, original songs. Yonker's vocals and guitar were nicely complimented by two saxophones whose style ranged from R&B swing to free-jazz squonk, and Ballew contibuted some Mellotron and. on one song, vocals. A really nice set and I look forward to hearing more from them.
But the sold-out crowd was there to see home-town favorite Mattiel Brown. Mattiel is a vocalist with two albums to her credit, Mattiel (2017) and Satis Factory (2019). AllMusic.com describes her sound as "sunbaked rock & roll with a retro vibe that harks back to '60s garage rock and a blues-rock edge similar to early White Stripes."
She has a powerful voice that rises over and cuts through the rock music of her band and reminds me at times of vintage Amy Winehouse. Her set last night at The Earl consisted of high-energy performances of songs from both her albums, as well as a Clash cover.
As per my usual preference, I saw the show from the front of the stage, and between sets wound up meeting both her Mom and the guitarist's Dad. Dad actually asked me if one of my sons was in the opening band Greenscreen (because why else would someone my age be front-row at the show?). No offence meant and none taken, but knowing the band's parents were in the audience only added to the homecoming vibe off the show, the last date in a long U.S. tour that stated last January (they had a long, three-month tour of Europe last year).
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