Spring Break
Indie rock weekend in Cambridge
by Andrea Fineman
Managing Editor
Music | 10/2/07
Posted online at 9:55 PM EST on 10/1/07
/ Last updated at 5:49 AM EST on 10/1/07
The Mountain Goats' hand-picked opening act, the Bowerbirds, hail from Darnielle's adopted hometown of Durham, N.C. The trio's pretty but soporific music made it an excellent first act. The band's violinist and token female accordionist harmonized with lead singer Phil Moore, with striking effects. The airy, soft-stringed guitar (à la Iron and Wine) and lazy tempo of the Bowerbirds' songs made for a solid set. Most of the band's songs sounded like perfect album-ending tracks: folk-infused lullabies kept interesting with spare but creative instrumentation, but largely lacking memorable lyrics.
Yet The Bowerbirds were no match for Bishop Allen, Vanderslice's opening band at the Middle East Upstairs last Friday night. Bishop Allen, named after a street only a couple of blocks from the venue, played highlights from their first two albums to a sold-out home-town crowd. The band began with "The Same Fire," from the June edition of their monthly EP series (released throughout 2006). The song is a response to the burning of the USS Monitor, a legendary Civil War battleship that the band had commemorated months before on a track from its March EP. The song's bouncy sing-along chorus instantly brought the audience to its feet as co-lead singer Justin Rice arched his eyebrows and tapped his feet clad in disheveled Vans sneakers. Other lead singer Christian Rudder held back, playing a collection of fun instruments, including ukulele and melodica. The band ended with "Flight 180," a track from its new album The Broken String, merging it into old favorite "Eve of Destruction," a reworked version of P.F. Sloan's classic 1965 Vietnam protest song made famous by Barry McGuire.
The band's tour with Vanderslice, which began Sept. 17 in Orlando, comes hot on the heels of both the July release of his latest album, Emerald City, and Vanderslice's recent music blog tour, wherein the artist recorded performances of different songs and gave the videos to popular music blogs such as Chromewaves, You Ain't No Picasso and Stereogum.
Yet The Bowerbirds were no match for Bishop Allen, Vanderslice's opening band at the Middle East Upstairs last Friday night. Bishop Allen, named after a street only a couple of blocks from the venue, played highlights from their first two albums to a sold-out home-town crowd. The band began with "The Same Fire," from the June edition of their monthly EP series (released throughout 2006). The song is a response to the burning of the USS Monitor, a legendary Civil War battleship that the band had commemorated months before on a track from its March EP. The song's bouncy sing-along chorus instantly brought the audience to its feet as co-lead singer Justin Rice arched his eyebrows and tapped his feet clad in disheveled Vans sneakers. Other lead singer Christian Rudder held back, playing a collection of fun instruments, including ukulele and melodica. The band ended with "Flight 180," a track from its new album The Broken String, merging it into old favorite "Eve of Destruction," a reworked version of P.F. Sloan's classic 1965 Vietnam protest song made famous by Barry McGuire.
The band's tour with Vanderslice, which began Sept. 17 in Orlando, comes hot on the heels of both the July release of his latest album, Emerald City, and Vanderslice's recent music blog tour, wherein the artist recorded performances of different songs and gave the videos to popular music blogs such as Chromewaves, You Ain't No Picasso and Stereogum.
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