I've vowed to get at least 1 post a week up for Seabass Says, even if that means I have to cut down on the verbosity. Nothing wrong with brevity, right?
So, in short, I love what the folks at La Blogotheque do with their "Take Away Show" series. There is a great organic and relaxed feel to the staging and execution of the songs, and the bands really seem to buy in to the whole concept. I've also loved everything I've heard so far from the band Typhoon. When I saw that Typhoon had done a Take Away Show, I figured it was something worth sharing.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Iron & Wine: The Two Sides of Sam Beam
It has been a long, long time since I've typed up a proper post for Seabass Says. I blame the following factors: An increasingly heavy workload, vacation, work, kidney stones, procrastination, and work. I'm back to shake off the rust (I'm sure I can still manage to mix some metaphors and throw in some asides), though, so here goes.
Way back in April, my wife and I had the opportunity to see Iron & Wine twice in one week (we probably could have gone to the other show in our area, but we opted not to be greedy with our Sam Beam consumption). On the last Wednesday of the month, Iron & Wine played to a sold out Ram's Head Live in Baltimore. We got there early enough to snag our preferred spot in the center of the mezzanine section and listened to The Low Anthem help up settle in for a great show. We had seen an Iron & Wine show before, so we thought we knew what to expect, but when no less than 10 people took the stage (including the wonderful Marketa Irglova on backing vocals), we were a little thrown. Sam had found himself a small musical army (with horn section). What followed was nothing short of a fantastic show, but for anyone only familiar with the early, whispery tunes from "The Creek Drank The Cradle" and "Our Endless Numbered Days," the mix of aggressive folk rock and progressive jazz must have been jarring.
Sam's Army:
This is the Iron of Beam's music. There has been a steady progression from The Creek up through the recent "Kiss Each Other Clean" in the music of Iron & Wine. Sam has given his formerly stripped down sound layers of colorful clothes and the occasional gaudy jewelery. I'd say you can officially call Iron & Wine and band now, instead of just Sam Beam. Obviously, he's still doing the heavy lifting in writing and recording, but on stage, there was a great looseness and willingness to experiment that Beam seemed to revel in. For example, check out the energetic version of "House by the Sea" that bled into "Woman King" (which ended with a bit of a marathon jam session that left Sam surprised to see the crowd still along for the ride):
Iron & Wine - House by the Sea (with transition to Woman King)
Then on Friday, we got the Wine. Local independent radio station WRNR got Iron & Wine to perform for their running Private Artist Showcase series that takes place at our favorite venue, Ram's Head On Stage. The only way to get a seat at a Private Artist Showcase is to win passes from RNR. My wife was lucky caller number 10 earlier in the week, so we were in. There's a really great vibe to the Showcases. They happen in the middle of the day and when the doors open, the lucky three hundred or so attendees stroll in, find a seat, order a beer, sit back and relax.
Beam only brought about half of the Iron & Wine army with him to the Showcase. They played arrangements that matched the relaxed afternoon setting perfectly. Instead of the jam sessions and bells and whistles that adorned Wednesday's performance, Sam eased off the gas and gave us something to sip and savor. It wasn't quite vintage stripped down Iron & Wine with Sam, his guitar, and his sister's backing vocals, but a healthy blend of the rawness of that set up and the full on wall of sound of a full band show. The is what "Tree By The River" looked and sounded like from my seat (apologies for any problems with focus and sound quality...I'm still trying to figure out my wife's camera):
Iron & Wine - Tree By The River
Here's a much better look at what the Showcase looked and sounded like, interspersed with some of RNR's interview with Sam Beam:
Way back in April, my wife and I had the opportunity to see Iron & Wine twice in one week (we probably could have gone to the other show in our area, but we opted not to be greedy with our Sam Beam consumption). On the last Wednesday of the month, Iron & Wine played to a sold out Ram's Head Live in Baltimore. We got there early enough to snag our preferred spot in the center of the mezzanine section and listened to The Low Anthem help up settle in for a great show. We had seen an Iron & Wine show before, so we thought we knew what to expect, but when no less than 10 people took the stage (including the wonderful Marketa Irglova on backing vocals), we were a little thrown. Sam had found himself a small musical army (with horn section). What followed was nothing short of a fantastic show, but for anyone only familiar with the early, whispery tunes from "The Creek Drank The Cradle" and "Our Endless Numbered Days," the mix of aggressive folk rock and progressive jazz must have been jarring.
Sam's Army:
This is the Iron of Beam's music. There has been a steady progression from The Creek up through the recent "Kiss Each Other Clean" in the music of Iron & Wine. Sam has given his formerly stripped down sound layers of colorful clothes and the occasional gaudy jewelery. I'd say you can officially call Iron & Wine and band now, instead of just Sam Beam. Obviously, he's still doing the heavy lifting in writing and recording, but on stage, there was a great looseness and willingness to experiment that Beam seemed to revel in. For example, check out the energetic version of "House by the Sea" that bled into "Woman King" (which ended with a bit of a marathon jam session that left Sam surprised to see the crowd still along for the ride):
Iron & Wine - House by the Sea (with transition to Woman King)
Then on Friday, we got the Wine. Local independent radio station WRNR got Iron & Wine to perform for their running Private Artist Showcase series that takes place at our favorite venue, Ram's Head On Stage. The only way to get a seat at a Private Artist Showcase is to win passes from RNR. My wife was lucky caller number 10 earlier in the week, so we were in. There's a really great vibe to the Showcases. They happen in the middle of the day and when the doors open, the lucky three hundred or so attendees stroll in, find a seat, order a beer, sit back and relax.
Beam only brought about half of the Iron & Wine army with him to the Showcase. They played arrangements that matched the relaxed afternoon setting perfectly. Instead of the jam sessions and bells and whistles that adorned Wednesday's performance, Sam eased off the gas and gave us something to sip and savor. It wasn't quite vintage stripped down Iron & Wine with Sam, his guitar, and his sister's backing vocals, but a healthy blend of the rawness of that set up and the full on wall of sound of a full band show. The is what "Tree By The River" looked and sounded like from my seat (apologies for any problems with focus and sound quality...I'm still trying to figure out my wife's camera):
Iron & Wine - Tree By The River
Here's a much better look at what the Showcase looked and sounded like, interspersed with some of RNR's interview with Sam Beam:
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