Arcade Fire practically took over Austin last week. After the band performed two shows, one official show and one as cover band Phi Slamma Jamma, last Thursday night, another member of the band, Sarah Neufeld, spent Friday performing a solo violin set at Lambert’s. Neufeld’s recent record was created with help from renowned Canadian violinist Owen Pallett. Since the earliest songs of Arcade Fire, string sections have given the band a distinct sound, and it’s fascinating to see that component isolated and spotlighted.
Neufeld’s live show consists of violin, a microphone taped to the floor (to pick up emphatic percussive stomps), her voice (usually only in harmonics, not lyrics), and a series of pedals. In watching a solo violin show for almost an hour, one begins to focus more closely on the instrument than ever before. Rather than hearing it as a part of a piece from which a listener might be periodically draw away by competing sections, the tone and timbre of the violin stands solitary and present. Neufeld’s playing style tends to sustain low notes with a continuous drawing of the bow dipping into the higher pitched strings, punctuating the low end with brief pulses. In this way, her songs emerge almost as conversations between two voices, generated by one instrument.
As traditional as her set appears, it contains an experimental element, which Neufeld explained to the audience between two songs. As the performer stomps, the reverb pedal adds to the swelling effect of the mix, contributing an element of improvised and uncontrollable chaos. She concluded her explanation with a wry hint that the process was a little like life itself. Neufeld’s songs possess the urgency and poignancy of human existence and her live show is simple yet transfixing. Not to mention, we’re encouraged by seeing traditional forms of instrumentation mixed with modern ways of creating music. More should be said regarding classical instruments in the discourse of popular music. If you get a chance to see Neufeld, do so.
Austin singer-songwriter Jana Horn opened the night with her project Reservations. The band includes Paul Price of Good Field and for the next few shows will feature Andrew Stevens on bass. Reservations recently finished recording new material in the studio, and the live show reflects a new sonic depth and tightness. Onstage, Horn is still somewhat timid, but we’re expecting that as the band plays more shows with their new material, comfort will lead to a newfound security and poise in future shows.
While I hate to end the review on a negative note–someone has got to hire a person to tell the well-dressed twenty-somethings upstairs at Lambert’s to stop screaming at the top of their lungs during quiet folk and violin sets. Or ever. Lambert’s could have a nice vibe for a low key show, but if I were booking bands, the venue would practically be off my list at this point. The disrespectful noise is worse here than any venue in town.
Check out photos of the event below. All images © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
