On 5/28/2015 Thursday night I was given the privilege to attend a concert in my birthplace and longtime home of Brooklyn, New York. It was recommended to me by my incredible loving friend Colette Schryburt (who is an author/collaborator like myself for RREVERB.com) of Montreal PQ to attempt to see this man perform and grasp the integrity of his music and connection with the crowd. To get an understanding of the venue that is The Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn is to appreciate one of the most premiere small venues that NYC has to offer. Small venues create an incredible intimate ambiance to any great show as any music aficionado would recognize. Once I was given confirmation that I was presented with the green light to attend this sold out show courtesy of Nico Pelletier (Fondateur et rédacteur en chef) I made every possible scenario take place to attend and be part of something that did not disappoint Christi and myself. The previous night I was able to trek the internet for an additional ticket for her to attend the show alongside me. Stub-Hub created success with that particular scenario. It was a last second find that I was beyond pleased with in transpiring. Onto the venue followed by the concert. As I stated earlier in the article, The venue is an absolute hot spot that attracts up and coming artists along with ones that have established themselves already. The ease of finding a great area to situate and watch the show was terrific. The ticket agents prior to entering were more than pleasant and accommodating with obtaining my ticket and entering the building earlier than the opening act to gain familiarity. The concert kicked off @ 8:30 pm with The Low Anthem. They are based out of Providence, Rhode Island that consist of 5 members consisting of Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky, Florence Wallis, Bryan Minto, and Andy Davis who all contribute to the very unique sound to say the very least. They are primarily based with an Indie Rock label and have a folk oriented undertone as well. However they were much more than just that. The crowd was absolutely in fierce awe when Florence belted on her violin. She had great stage presence and appeared to relish in it with a calm confident demeanor. It became capturing initially when Ben had a saw. Keep in mind this was a musical saw which resembles for all purposes a hacksaw that he used the violin string on to play. It appeared as a gimmick to myself initially but it created a distinct and amazing sound. They had a nice playlist and were very welcoming to the crowd and humble in their demeanor. I also would like to add that the drummer, Jeff Prystowsky played the drums during one of their sets that rivaled an anvil being tossed onto concrete from atop a high-rise. It was so powerful and I have always been a fan of hard drummers. That’s my biased opinion after all… However that too brought the crowd to a head rocking movement. Lyrically much of their set was drown out by the massive sound of the other instruments. During a few songs you could certainly tell that his voice was nice and soothing but those were only during a few sets. They had a dark romanticism yet a soothing feel. This would have been ideal for Edgar Allen Poe if he were a music enthusiast of the 21st century. Their set jumped around and was not consistent but that is what made them who they are.. I felt fulfilled with their opening act and could not wait for the main part of the show to get underway. Now as 9:40 pm the buzz in the arena got increasingly more prolific. Once Patrick Watson made his appearance on stage I felt as did my girlfriend that this guy would be ideal to hang out with and talk for hours. I knew of his brilliance long ago and I often remember an interview that he did for The Village Voice that related my thoughts to his. He may be all Montreal but you can get the California chill vibe from him. He was after all born out there. He had one of if not the best interaction or relationship with the crowd out of many artists at concerts that I have attended. That in itself was appealing and inviting. Not to mention his goofy yet subtle sense of humor. He had a few cute jokes and had a laughter of innocence that was appreciated. The beauty I felt with him is that of he certainly was not trying to promote the new release of 2015 named “Love Songs For Robots”. He concentrated on what he has offered throughout his amazing career. I really get caught up into hardworking musicians that make it look easy yet I myself could not even entertain doing a fraction of what they do. He fit that mold right from the opening sound. He maneuvered from his piano to a solo mic back to the piano and onto an accordion and latter on into the crowd to promote a beautiful involvement with his followers. The cohesion he has with his band appeared to have every quality of being genuine. Patrick has mastery of his lyrics, not just in the writing sense but in the way he can go high and return in to a more level feel. Often the word “eclectic” is overused at a cliched pace. photos by Richard J. Kretschmer Now Patrick Watson fits eclectic right were it should be. He has absolutely different styles and ranges that would rival the word eclectic itself. I have asked several music enthusiasts of what genre he fits into. The answers were diverse and no one could really pinpoint several. My take personally is that he deserves a new name for a genre all his own. The list could be so long as of now because I hear different things that might make me say cabaret to pop to lounge to trippy to indy and most importantly in hold of a free spirited bliss but the list extends far beyond. That in itself makes him unique and refreshing to the music world. After their final song in typical fashion we demanded an encore. I guess demand is a bit drastic but perhaps rather accurate. They came back out onstage and performed 2 separate encores with roughly 5 songs. Now that my friends is how you appeal to your fan base and create a relationship with your supporters. Bravo Patrick Watson. I was entertained from start to the final encore. I would recommend his live act to anyone and if you haven’t even heard his music as of yet,,, Please do so. In closing I would like to thank The Music Hall of Williamsburg for providing a great venue for amazing artists that supply their craft of music to the fans that adore their The RREVERB team for giving me the opportunity to attend and write my review, and mainly to the artists that create a passion for musical mavens like myself. Réagissez à cet article / Comment this article commentaires / comments
