Annuals + Jessica Lea Mayfield + What Laura Says - Chop Suey (Seattle, WA; Feb. 25, 2009)

Twelve dollars. That was the ticket price for the immensely enjoyable and eclectic Annuals / Jessica Lea Mayfield / What Laura Says show at Chop Suey. And it may turn out to be the live music bargain of the year in a city full of great live acts that often under-noticed and -appreciated. Yet the place was half-empty when I walked in, a couple songs into What Laura Says’ energetic, blazing set. (Btw, since when do bands start on time?) And it remained half-empty for a majority of the evening. Those who did venture out on this frigid Wednesday evening were treated to three distinct sets from three acts with different sounds and at different stages of their musical development.

Recently signed on to Annuals’ own Terpsikhore label, What Laura Says is a band that flat-out, unapologetically rocks. They are clearly adept musicians, but their appeal comes from their ability to bring a refreshingly raw energy to their music while never appearing to be trying too hard. They are comfortable with their image (think long hair and beards) and their sound (think bluesy, nuanced Detroit garage-rock that has the ability to explode in your face at any moment). While they played a few songs from their only full-length album, the relatively tame Thinks and Feels, it was a pair of heavily grooved rockers—“Roll Some Coin” and “Soar Like an Ego”—that left the intimate crowd, including me, wanting more. I will eagerly await What Laura Says’ next trip to Seattle and into the studio. You should too.

Chop Suey is a great venue. The Capitol Hill establishment prides itself on getting a wide range of acts, and is often under-the-radar of the average concert-goer looking to catch the latest KEXP-hyped indie act du jour. Those who are willing to travel a little farther south and are open to seeking out slightly more obscure bands are often rewarded with gem-like performances.

Such was the case with Jessica Lea Mayfield, who delivered an astonishing treasure of a set that was worth the price of admission (and more) on its own. Mayfield is not exactly obscure, due to some airplay of a pair of tracks from 2008’s With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, and recent collaboration with acts such as the Avett Brothers and the Black Keys. This recent buzz was elucidated further as the crowd size at Chop Suey doubled as the young Ohioan took the stage.

Mayfield was joined on stage by a very capable backing band, including brother David on bass and Richie Kirkpatrick on guitar, who added some deft instrumentation that added a darker, fuller sound to her melancholy laments. If you are attuned to roots music or country-rockabilly, Mayfield’s voice will sound familiar, falling somewhere near a sadder Edie Brickell or a less polished Jenny Lewis. She played several songs from her first LP, including “Bible Days,” “Kiss Me Again” and a solo acoustic version of “Hold You Close.” A cover of Buddy Holly’s “Words of Love” was a nice addition, too, but the highlight of the set was a slowed-down version of “The One That I Love Best,” a devastatingly sad but beautiful lament about the travails of lost love. When you are reminded that Mayfield is only nineteen, it becomes astounding that she is able to pen such poignant, mature songs on the subject. It would be easy to dismiss her songs as melodramatic at such a young age, but after seeing her perform, it becomes clear that she is undeniably genuine. Jessica Lea Mayfield is a true talent worthy of believing in.

Annuals followed with another change of pace, playing a well rehearsed set of songs to a crowd that had unfortunately reduced its size once again to pre-Mayfield proportions. Despite the smaller crowd, the sextet from North Carolina pleased the remaining onlookers with several songs from their latest album, Such Fun, and 2006’s Be He Me. Their sound is hard to place, and it’s unclear what musical niche they fit into, if they are even trying to fit in. They are driven by the strong songwriting of Adam Baker, who seems to have a penchant for writing grandiose pop-ballads with emo-sensibilities. While the arguably overkill orchestration of some of their songs has been criticized, similarly to that of the like-minded group Stars, it is this sense of bigness that has and will continue to attract fans in the future.

All members of Annuals clearly have musical chops, and the guitar work of Kenny Florence, and the bass of Mike Robinson really stood out, as did the drumming of Donzel Radford, with percussion being central to many of the band’s songs. They opened with a percussive-light show, with several band members on drums with some sort of LED mechanism lighting up every time the drum was struck. It reminded me vaguely of Blue Man Group, but the comparison ends there, as the band rolled through several of their epic ballads, including my personal favorite of the night, “Hot Night Hounds,” which featured Anna Spence on keys.

Also impressive were the band’s vocal harmonies, which rang true all night and complimented Baker’s soaring voice nicely. I also enjoyed some of the band’s forays into their more country/rock-tinged material, such as on “Dry Clothes” from their first album. Although they seem to have (at least in the studio) abandoned this sound for the most part, Florence did bust out a pedal-steel (or was it a lap-steel?) guitar at one point, and I was secretly wishing he would bring it out again (or keep it out). In the end, it was a well executed set, and Annuals definitely deserve a larger audience, which I am sure they will get at all-ages shows, or if they decide to sell one of their tunes to a teen drama on the WB or ESPN to use for a Winter X-Games snowboarding montage. OK, cynicism over.

Annuals closed the show out like they began it, with the drum-lights extravaganza, and as I left Chop Suey after the encore to a faceful of wind and snow, I had a moment of self-congratulation that I chose to live in a place where in can catch great live music at almost any time.

And for twelve dollars? Sign me up every time.

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Got twelve dollars of your own? Invest in America:

Annuals: Be He Me | Such Fun

Jessica Lea Mayfield: With Blasphemy So Heartfelt | White Lies EP

What Laura Says: Thinks and Feels

DOWNLOAD: Annuals - Hot Night Hounds (MP3) or Follow us for more Annuals MP3s (Twitter)

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