The Tractor Tavern in Ballard was the perfect setting to spend a Thursday evening: nothing fancy, just good beer and good music. There were just enough people there to have fun on the dance floor without feeling crowded.
Local musician Shane Tutmarc (now solo after old band Doulor) made for a great opening act. He had a strong stage presence with just an acoustic guitar. His eccentric style came through in both his style of clothing and his genre-bending song writing. Traces of folk, blues, and country all came through on his guitar and through his expressive voice.
The next band, Ivan and Alyosha, were the highlight of my evening. Although they are new to Seattle, they have already solidified their own “Brit Rock” style. Instrumentally, the sound was lovely and full, but my favorite moments were when it got a bit more experimental. The band members were enjoying themselves on stage and playfully joked with the audience. They saved their ever-poppy but irresistible hit “Easy to Love” for last.
Josh Ottum, another local based sing-songwriter, took the stage next. His set list played like a self-described “growing wave”, starting with more stripped-down, intimate songs, progressively adding in more and more instrumentation. Due to of my love for Josh’s (perhaps overly) honest lyrics, I enjoyed the beginning of the set. However, the jam-band sound that came towards the end was very pleasing for the late night bar audience.
It was unfortunate that The Republic’s set was so late in the night. They were very enjoyable, with a nice vocally driven pop-rock sound that could easily fit in on commercial radio. But that’s okay, I have a feeling we will be hearing a lot more from them.
These four indie Seattle acts, ranging from rockabilly to brit-rock, came together for a great evening of singing, dancing, and spending time with their local friends and family. They are all names to keep your eyes on!
