iron & wine - tonight at the horseshoe

[RUSTLE]

should be a good one... although my mind is reeling from spac and steeped in anticipation for coventry.

[zero]

Highly recommend this group. Incidentally one of Marc Friedman's (The Slip) current favourites.

[shainhouse]

They are on @ 11:15.

I checked out a few tracks on their website. Really sombre, acoustic music with a female and male vocalist. I totally dug it, but I can't afford the $10 cover tonight.

[Alexis]

hmmmm 11:15 may be appropriately timed for me to check this out...yey vacation!

[RUSTLE]

yah its great music, and what makes it even better is the story behind it. he is (well, was) a cinematography teacher in florida. bought a 4-track and started playing around, writing tunes, recording them himself, etc... sub pop caught wind of it, and basically released his demo version. "the creek drank the cradle" is one of my favourite albums to date. sure, its a little slow, but its powerful sh!t.

looking forward to the show tonight. also the opener, langtry is his touring guitarist's solo stuff, i haven't heard any of it, but, its suposed to be a little reminiscent of fahey. should be interesting, and all of this for $10, can't beat it.

okay, i am going to stop rambling.

[M]

Iron & Wine - Beard Convention 2004

Sam Beam and his band Iron & Wine put on a beauty of a show last night, bringing coffee house charm to the gritty legendary Horseshoe. Their sounds captivated (and silenced for once!) the sold out Horseshoe crowd - - at times you could hear a pin drop. Mr. Beam seemed both awed by the turnout and humbled by fans' familiarity with almost all of the songs on the setlist.

With vocal stylings channelling the likes of Elliot Smith, Nick Drake, Donovan and more, Sam Beam seemed to effortlessly raise the bar (see you later Jack Johnson - I hear the surf's up) on acoustic performance for the masses.

The songs played were gorgeous. Mr. Beam is the kind of musician that allows his voice to take over, becoming the key instrument in the performing process, leading the rest of the band on a harmonious stroll through each song. With soothing sighs and chants interwoven with lyrical loveliness, Mr. Beam's vocals serve to transcend the folk singing norm. I hear that at times Sam Beam goes "Wainwright" and has his sister on board providing backing vocals. For those that I was with who have seen him play before with her in accompaniment, it sounds like she was possibly the only addition that could have rounded out the experience even further.

Highlight of the evening for me was I&W's gorgeous cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning", although the cover I love and was rooting for wasn't played - - Beam's take on Postal Service's "Such Great Heights".

The band behind "the man" were quite good... complimentary in most every aspect. Only drawback, IMO, was that the slide on acoustic wore a little thin at times. A lap steel might have added the warmth and depth that the songs seem to deserve.

In sum, a darling of an evening - a night that reaffirmed the knowledge that soft, soothing music can still find a place in this rocked out, parting world we all live in.

~~~

btw Kung - I figured out that you were zero the minute I read your post above yesterday - - both by your use of "incidentally" and reference to anything Slip.

[Alexis]

hmmm sounds like it was a good evening....should i have missed it to see farenheit 9/11? who will ever know. nice review m are you going to be coming up for CTMF or are you staying in ottawa?