Although the Back Tracks Twitter page (@BackTracksMusic) has
been reasonably active for the past year, it has been quite some time since I
have written a full blog post about a show.
Having finally infiltrated the sea of bearded folkies, we
were thrilled to have arrived just in time to hear the only instrumental track
off Brown Bird’s 2011 album. A
multi-layered piece with Middle Eastern vibes, “Shiloh” opened to high-spirited
revelry from the crowd. Who knew an
instrumental would be one of the most beloved tracks on an up-and-coming folk
album? Brown Bird exceeds expectations and
rarely disappoints. The guitar mastery
of Dave Lamb and violin virtuosity of MorganEve Swain both captivated the
flannel-clad crowd and raised the bar for all the other “opening acts” out
there in the folk scene.
Brown Bird’s set concluded with the title track from their
most recent album, “Salt for Salt,” yet another rousing modal melody complete
with a chanting chorus for which the audience joined in while bobbing up and
down. It was stuck in my head for the
rest of the night.
There was hardly an interlude before The Devil Makes Three arrived
on stage for the second half of the show.
They’re known to some as a “folk punk” trio, but to me, an untrained
listener hearing the band for the very first time, the trio possessed a more
classic country sound, with a much more formula-driven repertoire than Brown
Bird. Their lyrics, echoing the
rabble-rousing anthems of outlaw country legends, kept the boozed-up crowd
jumping up and down to the two-step bass.
Among the crowd favorites were an ode to Jack Daniels Whiskey entitled “Old
Number Seven,” and the sharply reminiscent cutting-your-teeth tale “For Good
Again.”
The Devil Makes Three put on a fantastic show for anyone
with a twang of country in their heart. Guitarist
Pete Bernhard, bassist Lucia Turino and guitar/banjo player Cooper McBean’s vocal
harmonies were superb, especially in the chorus of “Help Yourself”: “Well now I
ain’t no preacher / no preacher man’s son / I done some bad things, but / I
like to have my fun.” It’s clear that
every member is multi-talented and that they have each made their own niche in
the band. While Bernhard serves as the
emcee and the voice of the band, McBean fills in all the gaps with his fast and
furious finger-picking melodies and Turino keeps the lively oom-pah beat. For three people, they sure make a lot of
noise.
For me, the best surprise of the entire evening was The
Devil Makes Three’s encore performance of the American classic “St. James
Infirmary.” Dynamic and daring, it
rivaled even my favorite versions of the song, performed by far more
established artists. Swinging through
the classic tune and adding their own twangs along the way, the energetic trio
proved to a crowd of twenty-somethings that they’re ready to carry the legacy
of American folk music.
The Devil Makes Three’s east coast tour with Brown Bird
wraps up New Year’s Eve in Philadelphia.
