Show Review: Wooden Birds, Other Lives
The North Star Bar hosted a stop on the tour of Wooden Birds and Other Lives during last Thursday’s stop in Philadelphia. For anyone unfamiliar with either band, the venue provided the ideal acoustic output and dramatic lighting for a night filled with songs dedicated to Michael Jackson (unfortunately, no covers).
Other Lives
After several smaller acts, including some solo work from The Honey Brothers’ Andrew Vladeck, Oklahoma’s Other Lives took to the stage with their five-man group and the sound from their recently released self-titled debut album.
Being unfamiliar with the group prior to the show didn’t prevent me from falling into the folk groove provided by Jesse Tabish’s hypnotic oding into the microphone, Josh Onstott’s thickly laid bass chords and Jenny Hsu’s meandering cello bow. Colby Owens added a simple and effective drums backdrop while Jonathon Mooney calmly laid the groundwork for many of the group’s mellower tunes.
Most noticeably for the group were how fluid and harmonious each song was conveyed whether maracas mixed with layered vocals from all of the members or if Tabish allowed the room to echo around his ethereal lyrics. For anyone unfamiliar with Other Lives, yet in tune with folk , their show should be one to jump at.
Video: Other Lives – Speed Tape
Wooden Birds
Having formed within the past year, Wooden Birds could be considered new, yet for anyone who has heard of American Analog Set, the vibe of Andrew Kenny’s bass holds a prominent place that has been with fans of the group for some time now.
Kenny has reemerged from his AmAnSet and music slumber to become the frontman for the Austin-based low-fi group, which also includes: Ola Podrida (songwriter), David Gordon Green (composer), David Wingo, Chris Michaels (co-producer), Leslie Sisson (vocals, guitar), Sean Haskins (drums) and Jody Suarez (piano, keyboard). With a large musical thinktank around him, the composition and melody runs with an exactness of a group that has been playing together for some time.
It’s hard to say Wooden Birds isn’t the rebirth of AmAnSet. Having played a bunch of new material from their Magnolia album, the group shifted to song’s from Kenny’s previous group (”Aaron and Maria”, “The Kindness of Strangers”) without any fuss. For fans of Kenny, who also worked with Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) on the Home, Vol. V EP, Wooden Birds speaks with the refreshing and easy attitude one would expect. Wooden Birds and Kenny are back after all of this time and it feels like home.
Video: Wooden Birds – Believe in Love
Video: Wooden Birds – The Kindness of Strangers (American Analog Set cover)
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