To call Shearwater the opening act for the Sharon Van Etten gig at Johnny Brenda’s on February 10th, doesn’t seem to give the performance or the band the justice it deserves. The band, which first formed in the 90’s, has been an underground favorite among the indie folk-set for quite some time. The members are made up of John Meiburg, Thor Harris, Kim Burke, Jordan Geiger and Kevin Schneider. Will Scheff has since left Shearwater but still performs with Meiburg in the band, Okkervil River.
Shearwater opened the evening with Animal Joy, the title song from their new album which was released on Valentines Day. The 45 minute set was filled with all new songs plus 2 from the archives. Shearwater held their own with a strong and powerful performance throughout. The band has a unique approach with their keyboard driven sound along with Meiburg’s vocals which are emotional and edgy giving Shearwater an interesting raw folk twist. A combination Richard Thompson and Leonard Cohen comes to mind when hearing Meiburg’s voice for the first time. Check out the bands first album released under the Sub Pop label ‘Animal Joy’, which is in stores now. It’s a great listen, from beginning to end.
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