BEARāS DEN w/ GILL LANDRY at the HIGH NOON SALOON
When Bearās Den announced their US tour of Red Earth & Pouring Rain, I purchased tickets immediately. I had seen Bearās Den during my sophomore year of college (2014) at The Frequency, and have been hooked since. The dramatic, yet expected evolution of their music since that last show gave me high hopes for their Thursday (1/26) evening performance at the High Noon Saloon.
Gill Landry took the stage first, sending textured vocals and dancing finger-picking throughout the venue. Gill is also know for his membership in Nashvilleās folk group, Old Crow Medicine Show.
When it was time for Bearās Den to take the stage, we fumbled our way towards the front of the venue where I had a better view of the musicians. I love being able to watch the instrumentation, especially since the touring band had grown by three since their last visit to Madison, Wisconsin. As expected, they kicked off their performance with their title track, Red Earth & Pouring Rain, mixing heartbreaking vocals with ambient guitar, distantly reminiscent of Washed Outās Feel It All Around. The energy didnāt die once, even in the off-stage and unplugged rendition of Gabriel.
One of my favorite things about Bearās Denās music is their lyrics (I will probably say this about every band I write about). If youāve listened to any of their albums in completion, youāll notice the use of historical figures, stories and places. I was able to talk to lead vocalist, Andrew Davie, about this, and he explained that these figures become familiar vessels for stories. For example, the use of the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac is reimagined to discuss the expectations between a father and son in their song Isaac.
The most jaw-dropping moment of the show was when the band broke out into their rendition of My Girl by Otis Redding. In preparation for this tour, Bearās Den asked fans for a cover suggestion from each city on their tour. The only condition was that the song had to have some ties to the city itself. In this case, the famous soul-singer had passed away in a tragic plane crash in Lake Mendota in 1967.
In retrospect, I have found myself in a fond musical love-affair with the UK group once again, and Iām so excited to see where their music takes them.
For more information on Bearās Den and Gill Landry, visit their websites below.
http://www.bearsdenmusic.co.uk/
http://www.gilllandrymusic.com/
