Show Review: Say Hi, Blair
Tuesday’s show at Johnny Brenda’s consisted of three bands, two of which we were able to catch (sorry Yellow Ostrich). While the fervor of each lead’s style differed, both Blair from Blair and Eric Elbogen from Say Hi controlled the pace of their “solo” bands in a captivating manner.
Say Hi
For Say Hi shows, the drums are brought to the front and center of the stage. From that spot, Eric Elbogen begins and it’s hard to look away. For the crowded upstairs room at this Fishtown location, the feeling had to have been mutual as hardly a peep was uttered during the set.
Not many groups feature the drummer as the lead singer (Lullaby Arkestra, Mates of State, The Konks among others), but Elbogen plays the role perfectly by not solely relying on his drumming ability. As seen in the picture above, he switches to guitar and remains seated. This sedentary position doesn’t affect his vocal projection though, since he’s not a top pitch singer, rather a medium range, acoustic-friendly voice. From songs paced by the keyboard to ones marked by the tapping foot bass of the drums, this three-man effort didn’t lack anything in their output.
His new album Um, Uh Oh just released at the end of January and was played consistently throughout the night while mixing in material from his previous six albums. Say Hi sounds better live than any album you can get from the group and it’s a testament to the consistency that has kept them touring for the past decade.
During the night, Elbogen was somewhat chatty between songs as he interacted with the Philly fans. One such fan demanded a drink since she showed up to the show and she posted on Say Hi’s Twitter. To this the lead man got a drink voucher and a buck from behind his stool and handed it to the girl. He in no way needed to do that, but it shows just what a fan friendly guy he is.
For more on Say Hi, check out their website and Facebook.
Blair
As the lead guitarist and singer, Blair‘s post-punk roughness came across with the pop of a veteran. While the Nirvana t-shirt was an idea of what was in store, she rotated between a melodic keyboard and a solo-happy electric guitar as her supporting cast provided above-average drum and bass/keyboard additions.
Blair is set to release a new EP so keep an eye out for that at shows and she most recently released her full-length Die Young last year. For more, head to her MySpace or check her out on iTunes.
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