Anathallo + Sam Amidon - Mercury Lounge (New York, NY; Mar. 4, 2009)

Any indie-rock setup that includes a series of marching-band style bass drums ensures an interesting evening.  Anathallo proved themselves worthy of the stage as they opened “John J Audubon,” commencing with a hand-bell choir and then ripping into an emotional, drum-thumping rock chorale. Front man Matt Joynt’s vocals led the eclectic Michigan-bred septet as their multi-instrumental arrangement blistered through the Mercury Lounge.

The ensuing night of music can’t be pigeon-holed, as the show draws upon joyous symphonic complexities mined from the same creative hills that gave Sufjan Stephens more than a mere modicum of success. The set often careened like a stunt car into moments of performance art, such as when one song was interrupted with an extended moment of silence. For at least a minute, the Mercury Lounge was part of a John Cage experiment, something for which the confused yet giddy crowd was unprepared. Anathallo, however, maintained an unbelievable dedication to their performance, keeping their heads bowed and posture stoic until Joynt leapt back into the chorus. At one point, the band even showcased modern dance skills.

In addition to commitment, the individual displays of musicianship were formidable. Horn players Bret Wallin and Jamie Macleod pulled double duty as the percussion section, frequently flogging the extra bass drums and rocking out a glockenspiel as much as it can be rocked. Singer Erica Froman’s vocals lent perfect harmonies to Joynt’s falsettos, and her countermelodies pushed more character into an already complex soundscape. Drummer Jeremiah Johson, bassist Seth Walker, and guitarist Danny Bracken held together a solid rhythm section that could swivel into a choir like a revolving secret entrance in a haunted house library.

In a bold moment of tribute, Joynt informed the audience that the next song was bookended by a composition by Hannah Markus. “Arrangements” and “compositions” were useful words for Joynt, as Anathallo’s rhapsodies frequently ran over the six-minute mark, rollicking through asymmetric time signatures and tempo shifts. “Cafetorium” began with a multi-layed loop sample, and “Italo” featured tribal drumming underneath urgent falsetto singing.

Another odd moment featured an onstage, improvised interpretive dance by two unidentified young men. Their connection to Anathallo unapparent, and their presence frankly distracting, the whole situation was just plain werid. Anathallo blazed on however, and Joynt’s guitar playing went undisturbed. Throw it on the pile of intricacies that make Anathallo a Rubik’s Cube of a band: a challenge to your ears and sensibilities.

Opening for Anathallo was Sam Amidon, a bluegrass/folk singer-guitarist accompanied by a dude on synth. Yes, he ran his keyboard through a series of effects pedals that shimmered behind Amidon’s honest, unflinching singing. Keeping with the weirdness of the evening, Amidon frequently laid rambling diatribes on the audience between songs, and even finished a tune by removing his guitar, dropping to the floor, and knocking out twenty push-ups. Rock or comedy, nobody seemed to be sure what was happening.

The most prominent lyric of the night from Joynt of Anthallo: “Some things you should never see, but hey, you see them anyway.”

Anathallo will continue to tour nationally through April. Check out their website or MySpace page for more information on tour dates. 

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