Jim Bianco, Jenny Owen Youngs, and Sean Hayes played a show at the High Dive in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood Monday night. The venue is a narrow, intimate space with a full bar and kitchen. The food is of the tasty pub food variety, and the bar selection is adequate. I mainly go there for the music.
Prior to the concert, I had not listened to any of the acts, and had only a passing familiarity with their names. Probably not the best example of research, but I went with an open mind and low expectations. In some cases, those expectations were exceeded far beyond my imagination, and in others, not so much.
Managing to score a seat relatively close to the stage, I settled in for the evening. Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Jim Bianco and his band were the first ones up. They started their set with a song that has a French or Latin rock vibe, including the accordion and a small brass horn that looks like a half-sized cornet. As it turns out, this was just a sample of the styles the band incorporates in their music. Overall, I would describe Bianco's music as roots or folk rock, drawing from a variety of Americana musical traditions.
The music itself is on the fringe of my interests, but that was not an issue thanks to Bianco's performance and stage presence. His personality goes far beyond the stage, and he is comfortable with interacting with the audience, even when there is a fifteen foot gap between us and him. For Bianco, the fourth wall does not exist.
As if his stage antics weren't enough to reinforce that, he brought the band down to the floor to stand inches away from the front line of the audience to perform the penultimate song in his set. With tight harmonies, the cohesive sound of the quartet stilled the audience, and for those of us who were not in the back of the room gabbing with our pals, it was a magical moment. Bianco followed it up with a sultry tune that brought out the catcalls, whoops, and hollers from the audience.
Even though most seemed to be there to hear the other two acts, Bianco clearly impressed the crowd. If you get a chance to see him, I recommend you do. Whether his music is your thing or not, he puts on a good show.
Chris Kuffner on bass and Adam Christgau on drums put in double time last night, playing with both Jim Bianco and Jenny Owen Youngs, who was the second performer of the evening. Youngs was also joined by guitarist Bess Rogers, who has a sweet voice, and I wish I could have heard more from her.
Article comments
1 - Donald Gibson
Would you recommend the music (albeit perhaps not the live experience of it) of Jenny Owen Youngs?
The only song I've heard from her is the Nelly song she covers, but I thought it was clever. I'm curious about how she is with her own songs.
-Donald
2 - Anna Creech
Actually, I do like her music, for the most part, if I'm just listening to it. It just doesn't translate well to a live show.