Venue: The EARL, Atlanta
Support: Port O'Brien, Sara Lov
In the Company of: Thomas S.
Alex Brown Church is an artist on the verge of success…to the average American, that is. While your neighbor may think you’re talking about the Jack London novel of the same name, Church has quietly built a fan base and some much-deserved exposure for his band Sea Wolf. Hailing from California, Sea Wolf has a song on the soundtrack to the new film, The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Sharing the bill with such alt-rock gods as Death Cab For Cutie, Muse, and Thom Yorke, this is sure to garner Sea Wolf the respect and attention they deserve.
After attending the prestigious NYU film school, Church returned to California and formed the band Irving, finding marginal success. When the singer/songwriter realized his musical tastes were veering from Irving’s sound, he dissolved that band and formed Sea Wolf. The second full-length release, White Water, White Bloom, has rocketed the band to the forefront of the American indie rock scene.
On this night in Atlanta, Sea Wolf hit their groove. Looking out at the full house at the EARL, Church made the comment that their previous visit only reaped about 20-30 fans. So, he was intensely appreciative and thanked us all several times for coming out, for the warm welcome, and for buying their music. With vocal stylings that could be compared with Mark Knopfler or Tom Petty, Church has a deep rich voice that is unique in itself. Watching them live, you may also reminisce a bit about Arcade Fire. Just a bit.
The band played songs from their first EP and two full-length releases. “Winter Windows” opened the show with a poppy sound (“This is the world, this is the world we live in / It's not the one I choose, but it's the one we're given / This is the world, this is the world we live in / And it's through winter windows that ends become beginnings”).
Some other songs performed were “The Traitor,” “I Made A Resolution,” “You’re A Wolf,” “Turn The Dirt Over,” and the new single, “Wicked Blood.” With guitars, keyboards, drums, and a beautiful cello, Sea Wolf’s sound was a great example of the resurgence of the indie folk-rock sound. The band played inspired and we listened. It was a great night of fine musicianship, sharp lyrics, and good karma.
Warming up for Sea Wolf were fellow Californians Port O'Brien, another reminder of the “Arcade Fire Sound.” While also in the mold of indie rock (with a touch of folk thrown in), Port O’Brien were an energized band with a purpose. Touring in support of their new release Threadbare, the band performed such gems as “I Woke Up Today” and “My Will Is Good.” Led by the extroverted Van Pierszalowski, Port O’Brien demonstrated the true essence of what a warm up band should be.
Sara Lov started off the evening with an acoustic guitar and a vinyl record. That’s correct, her vinyl band consisted of her real band’s recordings of the songs which they could not play since they did not accompany her on this tour. Don’t think karaoke, because this talented singer/songwriter didn’t really need them. But it was a novel approach that worked well. Lov showed off her folk music chops, preparing us for the evening to follow. And she even covered Arcade Fire’s “My Body Is A Cage,” if you can believe it.
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