Hands down, one of my favorite bands, The Lone Bellow performed a great — albeit undersold — show two nights ago in Portland. Holy crap, they are an amazing live act. They are one of the rare groups whom I would (and will!) see every time they play a show locally; no questions asked.
Their energy is infectious. Their musicianship and harmonies are off the charts. Their intensity boggles my mind.
At their shows, they just command the room with their songs. You’re dancing one minute, clapping and foot-stomping madly along the next, then swaying quietly to an unaccompanied, aching three-part harmony (seriously, I have cried at their shows. No tears this time, but the same chills up the spine), then you’re up dancing again, and then closing with a house-lights up sing-along. Fuck, they’re just so good.
They are touring their latest album, Walk into a Storm. Rather than embed an audio clip alone, I’m including a video clip “Deeper in the Water,” one of the stand-out tracks from the new album. It doesn’t do their live shows full justice, but it’s enough to give you a taste of what they bring to each and every performance.
Bonus: I really enjoyed the opener: The Wild Reeds, a new discovery for me. Check out the track “Only Songs” from their new album The World We Built.
In My Ear 