| This was the first show
of PostLibyan's official Fall Concert Marathon. And quite honestly,
it started rather poorly.
The first act was Joseph Plunkett and The Weight. Mr. Plunkett
plays guitar and sings in a not quite totally off-key sort of
way. The Weight consist of a violinist, another guitarist/bassist,
and a drummer. I think. In all honesty the first song was so
twangy and, well, irritating, that i fled to The Side Lounge
for a beer. So i did not really watch this set, although the
little i did see was enough to lead me to believe that this
was not the band for me.
I crept back into the main concert are for Nad Natillus. This
band was a normal sort of indie rock band, but they seemed fun.
The set was not that remarkable, but it was enjoyable. So thumbs
up to them.
Then came Waxwings. This band just refused to rock. They were
trying, oh how they were trying, but the performance seemed
cold and sterile to me. They offered nothing of merit, and i
found myself standing there and seriously thinking about just
leaving and getting a full night's sleep.
But i am so glad that i did not.
It seemed as if i had waited forever, but The Frames finally
took the stage. And they were brilliant. The Frames are a four
piece -- guitar/voice, drums, bass, and violin. Your standard
Irish band, i suppose. But there is more to it than that.
The vocalist is one Glen Hansard (who you might remember from
such movies as: The Commitments), and he has a
certain rogueish charm as he stands on stage, strumming at his
guitar, smacking gum like his life depended on it, and singing
away.
The IT Mega-corp my father works for did some research into
the affect accents have on people's moods. Their researchers
determined that the sweet sound of the Irish Brogue was pleasing
and calming to most people. For that reason, they built their
big support center outside of Dublin. For me and the other bored-up-till-then
people in the crowd, it meant that within one song sung in Hansard's
thick brogue we were happy and content.
The Frames played mostly off of For
The Birds and Dance The Devil, their
two latest albums, and the only ones that i have ever actually
seen copies of. The songs are catchy and fun, and the broad
smiles on the musicians faces just made it all seem happier.
It felt like they played a very long set, but it may have seemed
that way because i was dancing around like a fool and wearing
myself out.
Just before they left for their encore, an influx of new people
came and invaded our personal space. Not like The Echo was packed
this night, but they still seemed in the way.
The Frames left the stage, and these people talked to themselves
for a while, then some of them went and took the stage! What
the heck? They were a four piece with Irish accents, and they
played a song that seemed to get some recognition from the crowd.
Echo Booking Guy Alex informed me that this was Ash, another
Irish pop band whose tour stranded them in Atlanta for the weekend.
I am not familiar with this band, but the song they did was
pleasant enough.
Then Glen Hansard came out and another of the newcomers took
the stage. This, Alex informed me, was the vocalist of Coldplay.
I have heard of this band, and i have only two comments on their
singer. Firstly, he is rather tall, and secondly, does he not
shave on tour? (He was looking a little scruffy.)
At any rate, this Frames/Coldplay/Ash supergroup proceeded
to play an old Will Oldham tune. It sounded very good, and the
crowd was dancing around and having a great time. An odd choice
mind you (Brit and Irish popsters covering one of Americana's
greatest songsmiths), but well done.
After that, everyone left the stage, and we Minions headed
home. On the whole it was not a great night for music, but The
Frames more than made up for the failings of the openers.
Plus i got to see Ash. Who knew? |
