Sea Wolf: October 30th, 2009 at Modified Arts

Music is a wonderful maize that provides a different meaning and path for each individual. Over the course of a week we experienced two completely different roadways on our quest for musical satisfaction. Last week it was 65,000 people and the pomp and circumstance of U2 at the University of Phoenix. Last night it was 150 people packed into the little box called Modified Arts for an intimate no thrills set with some of the best offerings from the land of Indie rock. Two completely different approaches, two different ends of the spectrum....but they both succeeded in providing us with a great live experience.



Sara Lov- Silky smooth vocals, earnest and soulful lyrics, and a great crowd presence. Unable to bring her band she made due with the next best thing, a vinyl recording of them providing the backing tracks. Close your eyes and let her voice take you places. Download "New York" and you'll see what I mean. Of all the performers she had the best stage presence and charisma. As far as opening acts go, she was top notch.

Port O'Brien- My first impression of the band when they took the stage was "did these guys take a semester off from the University of Alabama to tour?" Their lead singer, Van Pierszalowski, looked exactly like a southern frat boy and their sound has a definite feel of southern rock to it. The fact that they've received some pretty high praise from M. Ward ensured that I wasn't going to pass on them. Their sound was Neil Young with the youthful energy of the aforementioned southern frat boy. As their set progressed my initial impression warmed and their sound seemed to have more texture and depth. Their set was the pinnacle from a primal energy stand point. Another great supporting act and another album that we will have to purchase.

Sea Wolf- After about an hour and a half their moment came. Despite numb feet from standing for so long the show was memorable. The band sounded much tighter then I was expecting and their songs were more upbeat and loud then their album versions. Most of the set was devoted to their new album that I'm still warming to. But their early classic "Made a resolution" was the rousing crowd pleaser and the highlight of the evening. Mr. Church has an incredible ability to create some great hooks out of simple chords and to make each song an intimate and rich short story. I was glad to see them in a setting like this because I think that the inclusion of their music in the Twilight soundtrack could signal the impetus that brings them to the pop mainstream.

All in all a great evening. We definitely felt a little out of our league given that 90% of the audience was fresh out of 4th Period English. But good music is good music and good music reaches people. Whether it's an 18 year high school senior whose life revolves around the Velvet Underground or someone, like myself, whose life has increased responsibilities and pulls. We can all come together and find a certain amount of joy, meaning, context, and rest in a well crafted song. Luckily for us tonight there were three bands who fit the bill.