Last Night Was A Surprise

So last night I wanted to catch folkster Ferraby Lionheart opening for the Brunettes at the Local 506. Well, I only got to see the last two songs because the damned team we were playing in the intramural flag football tournament wouldn't give up and we ended up having to put them down in overtime. It was still very good stuff--two songs I'd never heard before. I talked to Ferraby after the show and it sounds like he has really enjoyed the tour. If you haven't gotten his full length debut, Catch the Brass Ring, you need to, because it's great. (I gave it four stars in the upcoming edition of American Songwriter.)



I'm sure you've guessed by now that the surprise was the Brunettes. I knew it was going to be an interesting show when male lead Jonathan Bree set up his guitar and mic in the stripper cage (?) that the 506 has across the floor from the stage. This made for incredibly amusing New Zealand banter between the band and Bree and also magnified the chemistry between Bree and his lovely female counterpart (and band co-founder)Heather Mansfield. I laughed for most of the show, as they also had a "name game" band introduction and a dance contest, things that apparently they've been doing for awhile but were still quite funny. But that's not to say the music was a joke. Drawing from their new Sub Pop debut Structure and Cosmetics as well as 2002's Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks, the set was a great blend of sunny guitar and piano pop sprinkled with sparkling hand percussion, charming harmonies, and bubbly brass. Highlights included the choreographed "Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth," almost Arcade Fire coda-ed "Her Hairagami Set," and set-ender "Small Town Crew." Bree says the latter will be the albums's first radio single, as well as a new music video, scheduled to be shot in a few weeks.

The Brunette's Myspace, where you can stream a number of new tracks from the S and C.

Also, here's a breezy video of Ferraby Lionheart's "A Crack in Time," from The Ferraby Lionheart EP.


How nice.