Brendan James w/Choirs and Weatherman
Venue: Cafe du Nord / San Francisco
Brendan is one of my favorite musicians and since I got turned onto his music I do my best to see him when he’s in town (or in San Francisco, which might as well be my town these days). He released a new album - Simplify - about a month ago, and I actually got it early since I backed his Kickstarter project. Ever since I’ve been super excited to see him sing some of the songs live. It’s just so, so good.
The night opened with a guy named Justin from a band called Choirs. I’d never heard of either but he definitely had a good vibe about him. His voice was raw but good, and I actually liked his songs quite a bit. He played guitar and had another guitar player come up midway through to join him, which made the sound a little more full. I wasn’t completely clear if the other guy was in the band or not but it seemed liked they played together often. The style was a little folk and a little pop…probably more pop than folk, and I actually liked it. I’d like to see the whole band to get the full picture of what they’re about but Justin did a good job opening the night up.
Next up was Weatherman who I feel like I’ve heard of before. I know last night was the first time I’d seen him live though. He was definitely more folk than Choirs and actually played his whole set in bare feet. He played harmonica on almost every song and I always find that amazing. I barely have enough lung power to sing, much less sing, play guitar and then deal with the harmonica. But Weatherman made it happen and it sounded good. Brendan’s guitar player joined him on a couple of songs and they sounded great together. I could definitely see Weatherman again and will go check out his music to purchase.
Finally it was time for Brendan and I am here to tell you that his set was absolutely brilliant. He, his drummer Craig and his guitar player (I think his name is Eric but am not 100% certain) were just fantastic. And very, very smiley. Which I totally approved of. It’s always so nice to see musicians enjoying every beat of every song and I felt like that’s what was happening last night.
I’d seen Brendan several times before last night and I can honestly say this was the best show of his I’ve seen. There was just something cool about the whole night. Cafe du Nord is one of my favorite venues - despite it regularly being a thousand degrees inside - and I think that was part of the awesomeness that was last night. But mostly, I think it was how completely talented Brendan is. His songs are just about as perfect as you can get, both the music and the lyrics, and the joy he has when he plays just pulls you in. And Craig? Come on, have you seen this kid’s smile? If that doesn’t make you happy, then something is wrong with your life. Seriously. And yeah, he’s a hell of a drummer too.
Please go see this man when he tours through your town. You will absolutely not be disappointed.
Bonus of the night was Andrea Nardello, an excellent musician in her own right, randomly being in town for work and showing up at the concert. Seeing Craig’s face when he saw her standing in the front row was absolutely priceless and it was fun to hang and chat and pretend like I was cool for knowing all the musicians. Oh wait, I totally AM cool for knowing all the musicians. And maybe for other reasons too.
Anyway…that’s all for now…a couple of shows this weekend so I’ll be back soon…
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