Sunday, September 28, 2008

There and Back Again


Ben and I finally made it to see Mount Eerie last night. It was quite the evening.


We caught at 5:20 pm Amtrak to Boston from Providence. Then we went to Cambridge, where Dave introduced us to the ghost of Henry David Thoreau. Then we went with Dave and Justin to a Chinese place with super-good/greasy kung pao chicken.



Next, it was to Mount Eerie. Dave, Ben and I found our way to the Massachusetts School of Art and Design via the Green Line, and found our way to the Pozen Center with the help of a few signs. The Pozen Center was essentially a ballroom. The stage was not used, and the floor-level set up forced everyone else to sit down on the ground. It was not crowded, so there was no issue.


Speaking of which, everyone was super-duper quiet. It was the most respectful audience I've ever been a part of. Oh, no, wait, Sigur Rós concert. Nevermind.






Calm Down, It's Sunday -- Fred Squire singing, guitar and Julie Doiron, drums -- and Julie Doiron -- Julie Doiron singing, guitar and Fred Squire, drums -- opened for Phil Elverum aka Mount Eerie aka The Microphones. Fred Squire was alright, albeit a bit high. Julie Doiron had a very pretty voice and overall kicked ass.



But Mount Eerie took the cake. Phil (as he introduced himself) is a nice guy. I bought a CD from him directly, which was cool.






He, Doiron, and Squire played through their new release, Lost Wisdom. It was stunning. The sound is very primitive and mature. There is something about how Elverum plucks a guitar that is special. Part of it might be the way his acoustic was amplified; rather than opt for a pick-up, he mic-ed it. You could really hear his fingers stroke the strings.


Julie Doiron's voice mixed beautifully with Elverum's, and Squire's reserved electric guitar did much to intensify the music and deepen the sound.



Cathartic. It was very cathartic to be in that room. Elverum's lyrics were beautiful, and his new songs possess a maturity that can't be found as much in his Microphones releases. Mount Eerie is something new.


Thanks to Rachel Gaudette for boarding Ben and me for the night at the last minute! You are best.




2 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow- primitive, yet mature? I can't wait to listen to the track you posted.

Which CD did you buy?

That sounds like an amazing, amazing trip/concert. I'm definitely jealous. Any other concerts in your near future? Andrew Bird...? You should totally take the trip to Northampton.

Let's talk on the phone some time!

Unknown said...

Wait- you just posted an Amazon link. :( I'll listen to the samples.