Serving as both a place of recording and a concert venue, Russian Recordings is a fantastic place to see shows. I hadn't been back since the grand re-opening in October, and I had forgotten how full and rich the music sounds there.
As usual, I was late to the concert that night and missed the first act, Uno Moss. However, I arrived just in time to see Brooklynite, Mike Bones starting his set with the title track off A Fool for Everyone, which was very pretty and tranquil. Backed up by a pianist and a drummer, Mike's songs quivered with emotion and honesty, and I was completely enamored by his voice, which was stylistically similar to Bob Dylan or Lou Reed. Occasionally, his songs trapped the sonic endeavors of an earlier time, but he never sounded antiquated.
Mike's set had its highs and lows. He churned out slick guitar solos, as well as slower, funkier grooves. The song "Like a Politician" showed off his more vulnerable side with lyrics like, "excuses for emotion to play both sides of the game, I knew to turn away from everyone". Overall, his songs seemed to be thematically raw.
He ended his set with the song "Everybody's Comin' Down on Me," which epitomized why I enjoyed his set so much. Existential and honest, Mike truly had a penchant for crafting songs that were imbued with imagination and tempestuousness.
Up next were gritty, alt-country rockers, Phosphorescent off Bloomington's own record label Dead Oceans.
The band turned down the lights and kicked off their set with the song, "A Death, a Proclamation", and followed with a cover of Radiohead's "House of Cards". It's always a treat to hear a cover of a good song, but I'll be honest in saying that I like the original version better.
The piano-driven "Wolves" was one of the best songs of the night, and shed light on the band's capability to truly rock out. "Salt and Blues" was equally mesmerizing, and was replete with crisp guitar and soul-scraping vocals.
Soon after, Matthew Houck the man who actually IS phosphorescent, dropped the backing band and played a few solo tunes before the band came back out and finished their set.
Both artists had honest, textured vocals that sent shivers down my spine. Overall, it was a really good night!
Cheers,
Katie
