There’s something warm and comforting about Mississippi Studios. The low lighting, the quirky decorations and the amazing acoustics lend their shows a feeling of familiarity and warmth, making each event an intimate affair. It was the perfect setting for A.A. Bondy.
Opening the show was local transplant Haley Bonar, a petite woman with a big voice and an even bigger stage presence. Strumming a slightly out of tune guitar, her voice swung from breathy and soft up into clear, delicate high notes. Her music has a safe, dependable vibe without a hint of boredom. Instead, she channels a down-home country sound that feels warm and inviting.
New York folkster Willy Mason followed Bonar. Mason was an unfortunate follow to such a sweet beginning. His music isn’t bad per se, but certainly not the most riveting. His voice has a mildly congested, monotone quality to it, like a less melodic and not as soulful Bill Callahan. For such a smooth start, Mason was just missing a certain warmth and humanity in his music, making it hard for his listeners to really connect.
In comparison with the two openers, saying that A.A. Bondy was explosive would be an understatement. Up on stage, he was larger than life as he slid his hands up and down the frets of his guitar, rocking back an forth with his head thrown back and his eyes squeezed shut.
The majority of Bondy’s set consisted of material off his second and most recent album, When the Devil’s Loose, though he did dabble into work from his debut American Hearts. Along with his own songs, Bondy pulled out a particularly lovely cover of “My Funny Valentine” that got more than a few people singing along.
For the most part, Bondy’s music could be classified as folk-rock with a Southern blues influence, but he did mix it up a bit by incorporating some psychedelic-tinged feedback and a bit of improvisation in his musical transitions.
The thing that makes him so riveting as a live performer is his uncanny ability to transfer everything he seems to be feeling into his music and onto the audience. It’s almost painful watching him perform, much like watching the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen cry. There’s something heartbreaking about music that raw and honest.
