Last Weekend’s Show: The Music Lovers
When I posted the information that I had about the music by The Music Lovers, my experience with them was limited to what I’d heard of their recorded music and what general information I knew about them as a band. Based on the fact that I liked what I’d heard, my interest was piqued enough to finally go see them this past Friday when they played at Hemlock Tavern. Apparently the openers were Chris Robley and Michael Zapruder but I didn’t make it to the bar in time to catch them so the only folks I saw were The Music Lovers and when they started their set, I was glad that I’d gotten there in time for the entire thing.
The set actually seemed to be short, but I think the reason was that I was having so much fun throughout the entire thing. I felt like I was seeing more of their skills as a band with each new song and so when it was over, there was this feeling of, “wait, but there’s so much more, I want more!” The fact that the songs are relatively short and don’t have any drawn out instrumental solos (which I, probably as a rarity in comparison to most music fans, consider to be a plus) probably contributed to the sense that the set was short. It was akin to watching the finale of a fireworks show; each little firecracker burst is quick and beautiful in its own right but put together, it makes the complete set. And no matter how long a finale lasts, you always want a little bit more.
They played eleven songs plus their encore, using the combined skills of the five different performers to complete the set. What their live show really emphasized that you just can’t experience from listening to their recorded music is the way that each member of the band so clearly fit the part that he – or she – was playing in the band. In other words, when you see The Music Lovers live, it makes complete sense that the drummer is the drummer and the bassist is the bassist. It’s a hard feeling to capture, but I absolutely mean it in a good way. Each Music Lover seemed to love his instrument to have given it the attention it needed to be played well. And I hesitate to say who stood out among the group because each of them did them so well, although I have to say that I’m partial to Kate Weeks and her viola because of that extra unique element it adds to the music.
My favorite song from The Music Lovers live set turned out to be the same song that’s my favorite from their music available online; Fashion Editor. It’s completely infused with fun and gives attention in turn to each member of the band. When playing live, the interaction between the band members brought this sense of fun to life and really lit up the stage with energy. The band doesn’t appear to be playing again in the city until May but you can hear this song and some others on their MySpace page.
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