More Harmonica!

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. But I've been to a few shows in the last few weeks and haven't blogged about any of them. Maybe if I knew if anyone was reading this I'd be more dedicated.

Anyway, way back on the 1st of April, Ben, Amy, and I went to Mezzanine to see Band of Horses and labelmates Helio Sequence. Remember a few weeks ago when Band of Horses was being hyped into outer space? I think it was based solely on their song The Funeral. This song is straight-up amazing. It's a very well-crafted song with a lot of interesting guitar work and some pretty haunting vocals.

When you hear a song that good, you think you've stumbled on the next big thing. So getting to see these guys live was supposed to be a treat. Instead, they gave a pretty mediocre performance with technical problems sprinkled in.

Imagine this: a four-piece band (guitar, bass, drums, singer/guitar). The guitar player only looks at his guitar neck, the bass player only looks at the drummer, and the drummer is hidden by his kit. This leaves a lot to be desired in a live show. But, what about the singer/guitarist? Well he's got a baseball cap on that covers most of his face. And when he's not knocking over equipment because he's pissed that the sound system is sucking, he's mumbling.

Disappointing.

Then, take the Helio Sequnce. I've seen these guys before, and when I did, I was amazed that it was only two guys. They make a whole lot of noise for two guys. The drummer is one of the most entertaining drummers out there. From the moment he raises his hand for the first beat of the opening song until the crowd is yelling for an encore, the dude's mouth is wide open.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

The singer/guitarist is also amazingly talented. He's a great guitarist and a pretty decent singer. His lyrics are also good, although I don't know what most of them mean.

Ben hadn't ever heard Helio Sequence before, but was immediately taken in. If you get the chance to see these guys live, do it.

And I'm also going to try something new here. I'm going to link to songs from these guys. They're available on the bands' websites, so hopefully nobody will sue me.

Band of Horses - The Funeral

Helio Sequence - Everyone Knows Everyone