Simply said: I’m impressed. Sunday night marked my third time to see The Head and the Heart perform live. I’ve also seen The Eastern Sea perform a few times as well. Both acts put on the best performances I’ve seen from them, and touring opener Quiet Life rounded out the strong bill with a set of well-received gravelly folk rock.
It seems like it was just a few months back that Head and the Heart came through Austin and sold out back to back nights at Stubb’s. This Saturday and Sunday, the band returned to Stubb’s to perform two night and brought supporting act Quiet Life who also hail from the country’s Pacific Northwest. When The Head and the Heart first began to experience widespread success, my good friend Ian, who lives in Seattle and observed the band’s early days and hard work, said simply that the band deserved all the acclaim that comes to them. When a band tours as much as this five-piece, a road tested tightness and impressive energy begins to define live performances. Moving easily between rocked-up folk songs and somber ballads, the common denominator remains convincing and emotive renditions of these songs.
Jonathan Russel, Josiah Johnson, and Charity Rose Thielen all take turns handling lead vocal duties and, in the meanwhile, lend harmonies when not at the forefront of the arrangements. Thielen’s violin helps define the group’s sweeping sound while forceful percussion and electric guitars provide a sharper edge. Although The Head and the Heart emerged in a wave of like-minded folk and folk-rock acts, their individual talents and collective abilities as a cohesive band set them strides beyond others.
It’s always nice to see larger bands bring in smaller acts from the same hometown or region as with Quiet Life, who opened both nights at Stubb’s. Frontman Sean Spellman wore an earnest half-smile through most of the set, genuinely enthused by the opportunity to be on tour and making music. Quiet Life recently issued their debut album Wild Pack, comprised of crunchy, Americana rock as well as a number of more somber folk songs. The band follows in the footsteps of folk rockers such as Tom Petty, Ryan Adams, or Jay Farrar, and brings an raw energy to their live shows.
Austin’s own The Eastern Sea put on an incredible show between the two aforementioned bands, wowing the crowd with bombastic percussive elements and elaborate arrangements. Onstage, the band’s members are energetic and expressive as they deliver post-rock songs simultaneously fluid and disjointed. The Eastern Sea has become one of Austin’s most celebrated and successful bands and with shows as captivating as Sunday’s, it’s easy to see why.
All photos © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
