Bishop Allen (10/3/07)



I first heard of Bishop Allen when they were in the middle of releasing their EP project (1 ep per month) in 2006. They weren't widely available, but what I did hear I liked (now they're available via CDBaby in two volumes: 1 & 2). When their 2nd full-length album came out I really enjoyed it and was ecstatic to see they were coming.

As the day of the show got closer, I checked to see who would be opening for them, but to my surprise, they were the opener. The first thought I had was that maybe this would be a reasonably early night (I know I know...). But then I listened and liked what I heard from the main act, John Vanderslice. I began to think I might be seeing two great acts when I expected only one.

Once I got to the venue, I was surprised by how few people were there! The 20 or so people present crowded around the stage when Bishop Allen took the stage. What came next is what I would consider a concert night out to be all about - a group of performers on stage doing what they love and doing it well. They played all the songs I expected from The Broken String and had a strong set with great energy and enthusiasm (especially for such a small crowd). They have a very "indie" sound with great hooks and great songs. Here's one of my favs:

"Rain":


My friend Kat was in attendance with me. During the intermission we got to chatting about how late shows go and how I struggle when main acts don't come on until 11pm or later. She proceeded to tell me that's "early" by some standards and that I just wasn't "Rock & Roll" anymore. It wasn't a hard pill to swallow, but just a constant reminder that concert-going is not for the faint-of-heart.

John took the stage and by this time we were back at the bar and finishing up our drinks. I wasn't terribly impressed by him (albeit I wasn't paying much attention) and the crowd hadn't grown much more. It was at this point we both decided this wasn't going to be a night to try and prove our "Rock & Roll" status.

Posted: Mon - October 29, 2007 at 08:50 PM           |

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