My Saturday was full of all kinds of quiet, introspective music. Before seeing Reservations and Sarah Neufeld, I stopped by Cheer Up Charlies to see a set by Speak’s Joey Delahoussaye & Battle Bend, aka Andrew Stevens. The two were playing in a song swap configuration, alternating songs and adding to each others arrangements here and there. Stevens’ songs were sparse, simple, and honest as always, and included closer, “What I Need,” which deserves an award for being the perfect embodiment of the three aforementioned adjectives. The song is blunt yet beautiful and showcases all the reasons we love Battle Bend.
The songs played by Delahoussaye differed greatly from his songs with his full band. Playing classical guitar, he gently navigated complex stylistic changes and intricate picking patterns to create impressively dexterous guitar works. Delahoussaye’s lyrics are competent and earnest and his vocals are subtle. While Speak tends to embrace full on pop, this set served to show that at the center of those songs are carefully arranged musical compositions.
Check out photos of the night below. All images © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
