Monday, Wyatt and I saw the Bowerbirds and Elvis Perkins in Dearland at the Paradise. The Bowerbirds were neat. Both dudes, the lead singer/guitarist and the drummer, sported big fuzzy beards and pearl snaps, and the beautiful lady singer alternated between keys and accordian. Their folksy tunes favor environmental themes, i.e. "it takes a lot of nerve to destroy this wondrous earth." The music isn't cheesy though and being from North Carolina, their intersong banter was real nice and hearfelt, and all three of them smiled throughout the entire set.
Elvis Perkins really impressed me. His album stuff is good but he's much more impressive live, both alone and with the hilarious and energetic backing band Dearland. They took the stage only after making a loop around the venue, weaving in and out of the crowd while playing a gypsy tune. The joined Elvis on stage just in time for him bust out the first of many emotional, powerful and well executed songs. Their material ranged from gospel to old school rock n' roll to whatever you consider Jeff Mangum to be. Instrumentation included a trumpet, stand up bass, harmonium, harmonica, keys and 12 string guitar, in addition to the usual rock band set up. These guys really know what their doing but they aren't prententious and have an awesome time on stage. I felt like I was seeing something really special and it was a treat to be a part of it. I think the entire crowd felt that way and as a result we were graced with two encores. While it is a nerdy thing to say and you probably don't care, the sound for the whole show was excellent. It really makes all the difference and it was a refreshing break from some of my recent ear-twisting concert experiences. Thank you Paradise.
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