Walking into the High Noon Saloon last night I was excited for what promised to be a great double bill featuring Ferraby Lionheart and The Brunettes. Initially, I was disappointed to find so few in attendance especially for Ferraby, those that did show up got more than their money’s worth in what will probably go down as one of our favorite shows of the year.
Ferraby Lionheart is an up and coming songwriter from Los Angeles, who I’m quite confident you’ll be hearing more about in the future. We last saw him opening for the Autumn Defense at Café Montmartre, and, since then have come to really enjoy his records. Playing a good balance off his debut EP and his most recent full-length, Catch The Brass Ring. While Ferraby switched between guitar to keyboard, his backing band rounded out the songs, most fascinating was the work and addition of slide guitar.
After a brief intermission, The Brunettes took the stage. Playing “B-A-B-Y” and later “If You Were Alien” from their recently released Structure & Cosmetics on Sub Pop, we easily felt at home watching them. The latter of those songs featured “YMCA”-like body spelling of the letters. What struck me most about their set was their ability to really make the horns come to life in a live setting. On record, the horns aren’t as noticeable; however in concert they are central and driving, elevating the music from standard pop to something a little more far-reaching.
You could tell the band was initially a little reserved about the small attendance that was scattered throughout the venue. All it took was a polite request from Heather Mansfield for the crowd to move closer, which was surprisingly obliged by nearly everyone for the night to take a turn from near disaster to highly memorable. I guess that’s the plus of having a talented and beautiful front woman.
From that point the band orchestrated a two-song dance party complete with album giveaways (Ferraby Lionheart’s band mate won – conspiracy?), and really did a great job in winning over everyone in attendance. Because it was an early show, the band had a hard stop at 9pm, but due to persistent cheering and clapping the band returned to the stage for a very surprising, but enthusiastically welcomed cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run.”
I forgot the camera at home, but I know there were plenty of people snapping photos. I’m sure Aaron will have a nice video for everyone soon. Those of you that were there can certainly vouch for the “fun factor” of the show. I’m hoping the next time both artists come through town there will be more people in attendance.
Myspace: Ferraby Lionheart
Myspace: The Brunettes
MP3: The Brunettes – Small Town Crew
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Download: eMusic
Buy: Insound
