Saturday, May 24, 2008

Live Review: April Geesbreght, Ella Minnow, and Here, In Arms at the Prophet Bar (May 23)

By Brenna Rushing

Walking into the Prophet Bar, which is connected to The Door in Deep Ellum, you get the feel of a lounge blended with extremely loud music. Upon entry the numerous candlelit tables lining the bar give the feeling of a relaxed atmosphere. Portraits of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash on the walls provide a great splash of musical history. The recently re-located bar gives more than meets the eye.

April Geesbreght

People from all walks of life, ranging in age from late teens to early forties were there to show their support for the local lineup including Here, In Arms, Ella Minnow, April Geesbreght, Blake Bollinger and The Atlantic Messenger.

First up were The Atlantic Messenger and Blake Bollinger, which were both missed unfortunately. When I arrived it was apparent that the majority of the crowd was there to see the latter half of the bands. This was proven by a line out the door, with a ten-minute wait to get in.

April Geesbreght came on after with her band of four guys. Their sound is upbeat folk music with a hint of rock. They played an entirely upbeat set including the best song of the night, “My Mistake”. April said this song was about a failed relationship. The passion in her work could be seen here. The bands’ enthusiasm and love for music really came through. April’s body language showed her excitement and drive as well. You understood why she was there, at that club at that moment. Even though the track was about something negative that happened in her life, she showed the most zeal in the song. Her whole body came alive and moved with the beat.

Towards the middle of her set, she announced that their new CD would be out next week. Unfortunately they didn’t have copies to sell at the show, so more to come on that.

Ella Minnow

Most of the older crowd were there to support her. Her sound itself doesn’t reflect this, but Ella Minnow, out of Denton, definitely attracted more of the younger crowds with their unique blend of a saxophone, keyboard, and screaming vocals. Over 30 teens and young adults moved to the front of the room, near the stage, to stand and watch when they came on.

At the beginning of their set, the initial reaction was to wonder what exactly you’re listening to. The singer has a more nasally voice, but the band has a great sound.

At times they reminded me of The White Stripes, only because of the singers’ voice. The rest of the time they had their own sound that can only be described as unusual but inviting. Sadly, the saxophone was drowned out by the two guitars and drums. I would have loved to hear more from it. They had a great stage presence that consistently stayed through the entire set.

The saxophone player was sporting a fantastic black cape almost the entire show. If he dared take it off, fans would scream for him to put it back on. So it stayed on the whole night.

They had an impressive instrumental at the end of “Pep” that helped proved their ability to rock out. In most of the songs, the lyrics seem to be the drive so this was a fresh reminder of their many talents. “Crimson” was punctuated by a megaphone, which was an amazing effect to an already impressive song. Both vocalists, Conor Wallace and Corbin Childs added some screaming to help give an edge to the last song of the set.

Here, In Arms

The headliner of the night, Here, In Arms didn’t bring out as many fans as Ella Minnow. But they played a great set as well. Brent Engel, the lead singer and main man of the band, strongly resembles the sound of Bright Eyes, although the songs are much faster and happier. He had an ensemble of a red tie with a white button up and tight black pants to set the mood. He played a late set, starting at almost 1 a.m.. Playing the guitar and keyboards while singing the entire time, Brent showed he is dedicated to his art form.

Apart from Ella Minnow, the mood was a folky, happy-to-be-alive sound with rock roots. Ella Minnow helped diversify the crowd, bringing in more of the oddball, trendsetters who were there to mingle and enjoy the music. The different crowds mixed well together, to make a great night of peppy music that helped you enjoy the lineup as a whole.

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