Other than each band consisting of four men and one woman, Wild Moccasins and Lost in the Trees couldn’t be any more different from each other. On tour for their second album, 88 92, Wild Moccasins showcased their pop jams to a small yet energetic audience at Holy Mountain on Sunday night. Playing a mix of tunes from their first record Skin Collision Past as well as from 88 92, the group rocked the stage as the opening act for the orchestral-pop quintet Lost in the Trees.
Although Wild Moccasins played a short set, they left a strong impression on the crowd. “Open Sesames” engaged spectators as they admired lead singer Zahira Gutierrez’s impressive vocal range. Following this mid-tempo song came “Soft Focus,” which brought an enormous wave of energy transmitting from the stage and pulsing into the crowd. With Zahira dancing and jumping around the stage in a blue leotard, the audience had no choice but to start moving as well. Wild Moccasins demanded attention and were well received by the audience.
The band’s dynamic balances between Zahira on lead vocals and keyboards accompanied by Cody Swann on vocals and guitar. Rounding out the arrangment are Nicholas Cody on bass, Andrew Lee on guitar, and John Baldwin on drums. Zahira remained a key focal point for the audience as she danced her way through each track, while Swann offered supplemental vocals that helped each song become fully cohesive. Each of the group members fed off Zahira’s animation, as she demanded movement through the whole stage, especially during the fast-tempo track “Emergency Broadcast.” Zahira brought out her tambourine for “Full-Time Fetish,” a track on the slower side of an overall upbeat set. Ending the both visually and vocally impressive set, “Sponge Won’t Soak” concluded the show with a jam-fest led by Zahira enthusiastically playing the keyboards as the rest of the band rocked out with their respective instruments.
With lights rapidly flickering over their faces, Lost in the Trees arrived on stage after Wild Moccasins, impressing the audience with their slow-burning, lush tunes. Although their music offers a much calmer vibe than that of Wild Moccasins, they still were able to keep the crowd’s complete attention, especially with lead singer Ari Picker’s notable vocals accompanied by those of Emma Nadeau. “Past Life” shined as an evident standout, perfectly showcasing their combination of vocal harmonization with a soothing mix of guitar, drums, and keyboards. The band has moved from more diverse instrumentation to increasingly typical styles of rock, but they retain the feeling of deep sonic textures and complex song structures.
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