Based on the fact that you are engaged in reading a website dedicated to live music, namely in the Boston Area, I would venture a guess that most of you have been to Middle East Upstairs. If not, you are missing out. It is one of the best venues in all of Boston. The Upstairs is small, but not claustrophobic, the sound is more than decent, and the bar is well-stocked with a fine assortment of comestibles. But the fact that M.E.U. events rarely see attendance reach above thirty concert goers gives it its essential special quality: intimacy.
When I walked through the door, my view of a familiarly intimate territory evaporated. M.E.U. was packed. It was hard to get to the bar, and it was hard to find a decent spot to watch the show. I knew immediately that the Six Organs of Admittance show was going to be different.
The first song opened with SOOA sitting in a chair, lights dim, ripping haunting country-tinged rhythms on the guitar. It felt like the setting for a séance in the woods of north Georgia more than a club in the Northeast. SOOA lulled me into a trance inhabited by ghosts of the past as he covered old traditional standards, spouting lyrics such as, “Death is centrifugal.” He played his guitar smooth and fast, picking at the strings with a real ease that gave off an air less arrogant or showy, than simply as a “fuck you” to those who would play complicated melodies solely for the sake of technicality. He did his best to make the show an intimate gesture, even under the crowded circumstances.
Just as I was settling in for a moody, quiet night, Elise, a classy rocker with an ambition for slaying the comfort of the aforementioned sleepy melodies, stepped on stage. At first it looked as if she had accidentally wandered her way up there, stumbling over cords with an overall appearance of nonchalance. Then she picked up the guitar and charged the mike. Strictly speaking for the vocals, she added to the haunting nature of SOOA’s sound, but the electricity of her distorted guitar playing ignited the melodies. Like something out of early Jesus and the Mary Chain, she cut through the sedentary mood of the onlookers. Elise slashed at the strings of her guitar and shook up the stage. SOOA changed from a séance to an execution. It was brilliant.
It is worth mentioning that Elise’s dad came on stage to add some percussion for one song, which gave a brief reprieve from the seriousness of the night and let the band have a little fun. But other than that, it was two guitars, one on fire and one chugging out the rhythms. The dichotomy made for an intense and captivating display. For a band that delights in channeling moody and lulling spirits, SOOA’s live performance threw me for a loop. They were all rock, blistering and muddy, dirty as rock should be.
Set List
Torn By Wolves
Alone with the Alone
Journey Through Sankuan Pass
Shelter from the Ash
Elk River
Manifestation
Park Noontide
Awaken
Jade Like Wine
Do You Know Me
Hum a Silent Prayer
Dust and Chimes
Strangled Road
A Thousand Birds
Home
Dead Flowers
Kelli Shaefer’s songs get stuck in my head non-stop. Every other day I find myself waking up with one in there. And that’s a good thing, she’s a talent!
by Siri on Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 04.37 pm from the entry: Artist Profile - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
Probably johnston has wrote a excellent article for the readers and are excellent photographs and thanks for sharing your thoughts
by fake tattoo on Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 10.03 pm from the entry: The Reverend Horton Heat + Nekromantix – Wonder Ballroom (Portland, OR; Jul. 9, 2009)
ha, yes! the photogs in the front row were drooling throughout the entire set…
by chris on Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 01.05 pm from the entry: Washed Out + Small Black - Mercury Lounge (New York, NY; Mar. 7, 2010)
nice pics Chris. Don’t you love it when the artist brings some cool light. It’s a bunch of low hanging fruit after that.
by colin on Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 12.53 pm from the entry: Washed Out + Small Black - Mercury Lounge (New York, NY; Mar. 7, 2010)
WOMP WOMP WOMP WOMP WOMP
by BASSHEAD on Tue Mar 9, 2010 at 04.02 pm from the entry: Ginuwine's "Pony" Deconstructed Through Dubstep (Remix)
James,
E-mail me: info@jaredfroiland.com
Thanks!
by Jared Froiland on Tue Mar 9, 2010 at 12.37 am from the entry: State Radio - Showbox (Seattle, WA; Jan.19, 2010)
Check out a sick interview back\slash Magazine did with LMFAO about how they blew up in a down economy, the struggles of entrepreneurship, and getting high.
Here is the link: http://www.backslashonline.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=317:lmfao-entrepreneurship-interview&Itemid=56
by Mike McComack on Mon Mar 8, 2010 at 10.24 pm from the entry: Photo Feature! Black Eyed Peas + Ludacris + LMFAO - TD BankNorth Garden (Boston, MA; Feb. 26, 2010)
