Last night’s DeVotchKa and Basia Bulat show at Turner Hall Ballroom in Milwaukee was one for the memory bank. Basia started off with a crowd silencing a cappella number that instantly won her the respect and attention of the audience. It’s not a stretch to say she reminds me of a younger incarnation of Joni Mitchell, and boy did her performance resurrect Oh, My Darling back into our daily listening.

The dark atmosphere of the venue, complete with bats flapping against the moonlight as it shined through the windows was an absolute perfect setting for the evening. DeVotchKa quietly took the stage, bottle of red in front man Nick Urata’s hand, tuba, strings, two aerialists - pretty much the exact opposite of every other stage set up you’re used to seeing on a Thursday night out at your favorite live music venue. You trot that out anywhere on this earth and you’re going to amaze some people on sight alone, when combined with gorgeous music, there’s few acts that can fill their shoes.

Their music combines worldly sounds that stimulate triumphant emotions, pulling at your feet, just begging you to dance. This is the type of band that can make of fan of anyone, no exaggeration. No matter your musical preference, DeVotchKa is a melting pot of sound that’s built to last. Already critically acclaimed for their contributions to the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack, and having just released their MoB favorite A Mad and Faithful Telling, I left the venue on the arduous drive back to Madison with a permanent smile. Favorites? Where do I start? From the most recent record “Transliterator” and “Along the Way” are pretty hard to top and boy am I transfixed by the theremin.

Seeing this band at a venue as opposed to recently catching them in a parking lot at SXSW makes all the difference in the world. It was a spectacle, an event, and I think everyone in attendance had a wonderful time. It was great to see such a good crowd considering there was pretty popular competition across town. They’re on a lengthy tour across the US and Europe to follow, don’t skip this one kids!

Thanks for coming and let us know what you thought of the show in the comments!

Related: 5 Questions with DeVotchKa

Myspace: DeVotchKa
Myspace: Basia Bulat
MP3: DeVotchKa - “You Love Me”
MP3: Basia Bulat - “In The Night”

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