Beach House at The Bell House 1.25.10

Tuesday night Baltimore’s Beach House played an intimate show at The Bell House to celebrate the release of their third album Teen Dream on Sub Pop Records. I was unfamiliar with a majority of opening act Jana Hunter‘s music prior to the show but all it took was one song paired with her aloof demeanor to win my affection.  Although short, Baltimore’s Jana Hunter provided a stellar and complimentary prelude to Beach House.

After 10PM, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally hopped onto the fuzzy tree decorated stage to harmonize through a dreamy set focused heavily on the new release, with sporadic dips into their previous album Devotion.

For a majority of the set Victoria’s face was shrouded by a mop of hair but her thick vocals and subtle yet arresting presence captivated all.

Limited to only 100 tickets to the public, Tuesday night was a unique and intimate experience with Beach House before they take off on a rigorous  tour.  The European tour will kick off next month in Glasgow, including dates with Grizzly Bear before they return to the US to play The Coachella Festival and Webster Hall in New York (with opening act Washed Out. ) If you dig atmospheric dreampop or psych-folk don’t miss both acts at a venue near you.

For more pictures from the show, visit the FULL GALLERY HERE.

mp3: Beach House – Lover of Mine [alt]
mp3: Jana Hunter – A Goblin, A Goblin [alt]

Will Hoge at Bell House, 4.30.09

Being a native Georgia girl, I’ve long been a fan of Will Hoge’s down-home, gritty, Nashville-infused Southern rock. His concerts never fail to impress, from his growling, passionate vocals to the connection he makes with every audience member. His stop at The Bell House in Brooklyn on 4/30 did not disappoint.

Hoge has a Bruce Springsteen-meets-Hank-Williams vibe, and with songs like, Dirty Little War, This Highway’s Home, and Pocket Full of Change, you might think he’s another run-of-the-mill country western singer. However, his clear influences from Motown and blues music peek out on his studio albums in tunes like The Man Who Killed Love’s Woman, Be Strong, and Draw the Curtains’s When I Can Afford to Lose, and the Hurricane Katrina ode Washed By the Water.

Hoge seems more interested lately in going the sensitive, acoustic, country rocker route, which is fine by his fans–some of whom are passionate enough to sing along at 100-decibel volume and others who would skin those fans for doing so. Welcome to Brooklyn, bitches!

Katie Herzig (best known for her Fritos commercial jingle, Two Hearts Are Better Than One) opened, and her innocent, Feist-y voice pared with country acoustic music and whistling made for a great lead-in to Hoge’s powerful set.

The tone of the main show started out more somber than Hoge’s usual concerts, as he’s still recovering from a terrible scooter accident in August, and had to sit through the whole show. Witnessing his now-limited mobility could have turned the night into one of those fall-of-a-titan moments, but he immediately started the set by cracking jokes and putting the audience at ease. He then proceeded to rock out on his guitar (and later the keyboard) and wail into the mic like the Will we all remembered, kicking ass and taking names all night. Then, to top off the evening, he manned his own merch table and took a picture with every single fan. A true trooper, a great musician, and a class act. His latest studio effort (a follow up to 2007’s Draw the Curtains) will be out on Rykodisc in the Fall.

MP3: Will Hoge – Lover Tonight or Zshare
MP3: Will Hoge – Washed By The Water or Zshare