This is a special guest post from our friends over at Melophobe, who run quite the classy music blog. I do suggest you check it out. In the meantime, here's a sample of how they do. Text by Beth Freeman Doreian. Photos by Joshua Bean.
The Acorn. May 7th, 2008 at Great Scott in Allston, MA.
Canadian indie art folk rockers The Acorn played the Great Scott Wednesday night, ending an eleven-city tour to promote the recent U.S. release of their album Glory Hope Mountain.
Their energetic set, full of ukulele jams, multi-part percussion and sincere sing-alongs did not disappoint their fans and perhaps won over some barflies otherwise discouraged by Papelbon blowing a Red Sox save.
When singer and principal songwriter Rolf Klausener walked on stage, he joked that he assumed Great Scott would be a venue for AC/DC cover bands. [I would be remiss if I didn’t mention bluegrass AC/DC cover band Hayseed Dixie, which, according to my friend Luke, is “ridiculous live.”] The Acorn opened with the lively “Crooked Legs,” and unless my ears deceived me, Rolf managed to replace a lyric with “back in black.” Later in the set, during a lull between songs, both the crowd and the band were startled to hear the original “Back in Black” softly playing by the bar.
What at the time was viewed as mere coincidence (or a funny wink from the management), in retrospect seems entirely appropriate (at least to this avid fan!). Rolf is such a talented songwriter, he can even find a way to insert motif into a live set!
Glory Hope Mountain is a thoughtfully written and arranged album, based on the life of Rolf’s mother, who emigrated from Honduras to Canada as a teenager. While documenting his mother’s stories, Rolf researched Honduran Garifuna music. Its influence is seen throughout the album, with its complex rhythmic patterns and layered percussion. Live, the Acorn stays pretty true to these carefully crafted songs, and even added a sixth member for the tour in order to match the album’s rich percussion arrangements.
Their set drew heavily from both Glory Hope Mountain, as well as their 2006 EP Tin Fist.
Crowd favorites included “Flood, Part 1” and “Low Gravity,” which both benefit from the touches of Garifuna. With all members of the Acorn continually switching up their instruments and playing without rest, each did their part to bring their complex, layered and diverse sound—so beautifully arranged in their recordings—to life on stage.
After fifteen days of non-stop touring, and an energized set at Great Scott, the Acorn were finally able to rest, crowning their show with celebratory shots of Jameson, bought by the sound engineer, presumably a new (well-earned) convert.
The Acorn - Spring Thaw (from Tin Fist)
The Acorn - Brokered Heart (from Tin Fist)
Set-list:
01. Crooked Legs
02. Brokered Heart
03. Dents
04. Glory
05. Antenna
06. Plates & Saucers
07. Blankets
08. Feral Chile
09. Low Gravity
10. Flood, Part 1
11. Flood, Part 2
12. Spring Thaw
The Acorn. May 7th, 2008 at Great Scott in Allston, MA.
Canadian indie art folk rockers The Acorn played the Great Scott Wednesday night, ending an eleven-city tour to promote the recent U.S. release of their album Glory Hope Mountain.Their energetic set, full of ukulele jams, multi-part percussion and sincere sing-alongs did not disappoint their fans and perhaps won over some barflies otherwise discouraged by Papelbon blowing a Red Sox save.
When singer and principal songwriter Rolf Klausener walked on stage, he joked that he assumed Great Scott would be a venue for AC/DC cover bands. [I would be remiss if I didn’t mention bluegrass AC/DC cover band Hayseed Dixie, which, according to my friend Luke, is “ridiculous live.”] The Acorn opened with the lively “Crooked Legs,” and unless my ears deceived me, Rolf managed to replace a lyric with “back in black.” Later in the set, during a lull between songs, both the crowd and the band were startled to hear the original “Back in Black” softly playing by the bar.
What at the time was viewed as mere coincidence (or a funny wink from the management), in retrospect seems entirely appropriate (at least to this avid fan!). Rolf is such a talented songwriter, he can even find a way to insert motif into a live set!
Glory Hope Mountain is a thoughtfully written and arranged album, based on the life of Rolf’s mother, who emigrated from Honduras to Canada as a teenager. While documenting his mother’s stories, Rolf researched Honduran Garifuna music. Its influence is seen throughout the album, with its complex rhythmic patterns and layered percussion. Live, the Acorn stays pretty true to these carefully crafted songs, and even added a sixth member for the tour in order to match the album’s rich percussion arrangements.
Their set drew heavily from both Glory Hope Mountain, as well as their 2006 EP Tin Fist.
Crowd favorites included “Flood, Part 1” and “Low Gravity,” which both benefit from the touches of Garifuna. With all members of the Acorn continually switching up their instruments and playing without rest, each did their part to bring their complex, layered and diverse sound—so beautifully arranged in their recordings—to life on stage.
After fifteen days of non-stop touring, and an energized set at Great Scott, the Acorn were finally able to rest, crowning their show with celebratory shots of Jameson, bought by the sound engineer, presumably a new (well-earned) convert.
The Acorn - Spring Thaw (from Tin Fist)
The Acorn - Brokered Heart (from Tin Fist)
Set-list:01. Crooked Legs
02. Brokered Heart
03. Dents
04. Glory
05. Antenna
06. Plates & Saucers
07. Blankets
08. Feral Chile
09. Low Gravity
10. Flood, Part 1
11. Flood, Part 2
12. Spring Thaw
Labels: Show Reviews
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