"We just like to play acoustic."
There was a small covered stage at the bottom of the gently sloping lawn on the grounds of the French Legation Museum (we still don't know exactly what this is), but A Hawk and a Hacksaw chose instead to wander up the hill a ways and play "all natural" (well, they did have clothing on). Fans circled around them and sat quietly on the grass, faces turned upward and focused intently on the New Mexico-based trio.
Heavily influenced by the sounds of Eastern Europe and experiences in Budapest, the group has a gypsy folk feel that relies on the delicate interplay between Heather Trost on violin and Jeremy Barnes (formerly of Neutral Milk Hotel) on accordion, all held together by tuba. The sound ranges from tragic to playful, with Barnes providing plaintive vocals and Trost creating some unique and squeaky tones by occasionally sounding her instrument by pulling her fingers across a string rather than using the bow. In the end, even if the band had not been playing next to a patch of Irises under a clear blue sky, AHAAH still would have charmed the crowd with their offbeat and appealing songs.
