Curtains For You - Tractor Tavern (Seattle, WA; Mar. 27, 2008)

I always love attending shows at the Tractor Tavern, an unassuming little venue in Ballard. Always a draw for an eclectic crowd, this night the Tractor did not disappoint. There were guys sporting their hip-hop wear, Baby Boomers with their glasses of Miller High Life, even a girl unnecessarily dressed in a sundress and red patent leather heels. This smash up of styles and the old western decor of the Tractor made for some amusing people watching and some good ol’ music.

Curtains for You hit the stage much later than anticipated, mostly due to the extended play time of two opening bands. I was only there to catch the second, a forgettable opener whose set up time was entirely too long. Once it was time for Curtains for You, the five guys quickly stepped onto the stage and hurriedly set up their equipment. After a brief mic check they jumped into their first number, a rousing Sgt. Pepper-esque song that included not only the guitar, keyboard, and drums, but also displayed the talents of Mikey Gervais and Nick Holman on the saxophone and euphonium. I was taken with the camaraderie of the group, which is considerable given that two of the band members are brothers and all five have been good friends for several years. In between tunes, the banter between the guys (and some audience members) sometimes went on and on, oftentimes leaving me feeling left out of some inside joke. But I found myself still smiling in enjoyment.

Curtains for You’s music has a nostalgia to it that I do not often find when attending music events. My favorite tunes, “Each and Everyone” and “Red Rose”, showcased the piano stylings of Peter Fedofsky, Matthew Gervais’ melodic voice, and Dave Lawrence’s excellent drumming. Standing there listening to them in the middle of the honky-tonk Tractor Tavern, I couldn’t help but feel I had been transported to a Wild West saloon.

Though the crowd had dwindled slightly due to the late hour, the people who stayed took on a whole new energy not felt earlier in the evening. People weren’t as firmly planted to the ground, some were happy to bob their heads to the beat, while others were more into twirling a partner around in a comical two-step fashion.

At the end of their last song, Matthew Gervais told the audience that they would be going right into the encore because they did not want to put the audience out by making them clap for it. What came about was a hilarious cover of Harry Nilsson’s “Without You,” after which the band thanked everyone for staying up for them (“No, thank YOU for staying with us,” yelled one fervent fan in the front). Though exceedingly corny, I thought it was an appropriate end to another great night at the Tractor.

Set List
1. Small Change
2. The Pugilist
3. Postcard
4. Road Trip
5. Heaven’s Waiting
6. Licorice
7. Each and Everyone
8. Dead World
9. Clanging
10. Red Rose

Encore
1. Without You (Harry Nilsson cover)

Curtains for You is:
Matthew Lee Patrick Gervais: Vocals, Guitar
Peter Fedofsky: Keyboard, Vocals
Nick Holman: Bass, Vocals, Euphonium
Mikey Gervais: Guitar, Sax, Vocals
Dave Lawrence: drums

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