Friday night's showing at Bunk Bar gave a solid reminder that your opinions on a band should remain pliable until you've seen them live. Both groups completely shattered my admittedly uneducated and preconceived notion of what they were - which was a great thing for one act, a not-so-great thing for the other.
Local boys Mimicking Birds, who rose to fame after signing to Isaac Brock's label in 2009, opened the show. I was excited to see what they'd bring to the table, as their self-titled release was a captivating collection of folk ballads that evoke a more nature-driven Calexico. All signs pointed to their set being an excellent way to start the night.
Consistent speaker problems, unnecessary distractions from the band members and a somewhat dull delivery left their performance pretty unsatisfactory, however. On their plus-side, singer Nate Lacy showed an impressive control over each song, thanks to his distinct and often delicate vocals. Their best use came when placed within haunting songs of lonesome imagery, which summoned a very appropriate soundtrack for the bar’s Paris, Texas-based mural.
It truly felt this was just an off-night for Mimicking Birds, though, as very few of their tracks came off as brilliantly as the recorded versions. In all, this band hast an outstanding combination of ideas, sounds and lyrics going for them, but it's gonna require more dexterity in their live shows before they can reach the top.
Bahamas were a completely different story, and it wasn't long before I realized that their name wasn't the only thing tropical about them. They had chosen a strong moniker, one that easily conjures up the smell of coconut oil and the warm, relaxed, devil-may-care attitude that comes with lying near the ocean. If one contemplates the music connected to the islands of the Bahamas, it's often they end up hearing the freestyling grooves of reggae, or the bongo beats of calypso.
But as soon as this Toronto-based group started their set, I could tell no such Caribbean style would be laid upon us. What we got, instead, was a fantastic reinvention of '50s soul, replete with touches of rockabilly, gospel and folk. It was the easy and carefree way in which they did it, however, that gave their name some connection to the famous islands, as it evoked the same kind of feeling a day at the beach will give you.
Guitarist and lead singer Afie Jurvanen was the biggest reason for this - due to his Jeff Buckley-esque vocals, a presentation similar to M. Ward, and a guitar performance that was all his own. Jurvanen was incredible, and cast mischievous smiles as he ignited the room with his epic guitar ways, throwing in surprise riffs – that were always awesome – every chance he could. By his side were two fiercely talented doo-wop singers, embellishing every song with voices that never quit. It was a trio that failed to do a single thing wrong, and together they were unstoppable.
Pulling from the band's debut, Pink Strat, and their 2012 release Barchords, Bahamas transformed the albums' soft and sweet songs into lively, fun and sexy. "Lost in the Light" was a great example, with a gentle start that erupted into a glorious harmonization midway through. "Already Yours" showed Jurvanen's ample guitar flavor variety at its best, while "I Got You Babe" was a stop and go rhythm that got dirty when it needed to.
The lyrics of "Hockey Teeth" and "Okay, Alright, I'm Alive" represented the lyrical genius the band possesses, and Jurvanen showed he knew it as he smoothly delivered "every time the phone rings I run/every time George sings 'here comes the sun'/every time I feel like it's all been done/that's okay, that's alright, I'm alive.”
After the girls left for what Jurvanen called a 'folk break,' he explained the band was missing their drummer, who had flown home the night before to be with his wife and their newborn baby. This announcement slightly shocked me, because the idea of putting a drum in the midst of this near perfect concoction of musicians seemed almost ridiculous, as it would likely detract from the superb thing the trio in front of me had going. I guess I'll have to wait 'til the next time I get to see Bahamas to judge that accurately, though.
Without the drummer, however, the band closed with a jaw-dropping cover of Springsteen's "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out," and it was a dazzling ending to their set. Talking with the group after, I had to ask what had caused them to name their band the way they did. Each one of them smiled as they explained it was in an attempt to distract people from asking for an explanation of Afie's unconventional name. Which is a-okay by me. Just goes to show bands can name themselves whatever they want, as long as they've got a truly bona fide talent to back it up.
