Never A Silent Night

I’d heard of Gomez for years, and I do mean years. The first time was back in 2002 I think. Jason Mraz was opening for them and I was in love with him. So began the chain of near misses with Gomez. I didn’t see them that night because I was in Portland, then every time after I either was somewhere else or didn’t know they were in Seattle. It was like I was subconsciously avoiding them. Well, on the 27th of September in the year 2011 that came to an end. I finally saw Gomez and the night was better than I could have ever imagined. First of all…spoiler alert…I love Gomez live now and will gladly see them again, but also every band on the bill was awesome!

First up was a local pacific northwest band (from the state directly south to my own..Oregon) called Greylag. I was a little worried when they took the stage. They looked very hippie-ish. I know you should never judge a band by the way they look but there it was, in my head, “Hippie Band”. Well, if Greylag is a hippie band then I love hippie bands. They had a great sound and the the lead singer, Allen Stonestreet, has the perfect voice that blends astonishingly well with the music. Their sound reminded me of Ivan and Alyosha, Ray LaMontagne, Mumford and Sons, and the Head and the Heart..you know..that sound that is really taking off right now. Very indie folk rock. Then right before my eyes they transformed from hippie to rockstar. I could tell I was falling in love with this band. It was a short set but as the first opener it was expected. Not wanting it to end I purchased their cd so I could listen over and over. They definitely had a new fan. (bonus info: Allen is super nice and personable.)

The second opener was the Kopecky family band. I’m used to seeing one or two of the musicians in the band play multiple instruments but this was insane. They all played multiple instruments, and really well I might add. I want to say the drummer played guitar and sang and then the keyboardist played guitar and cello and so on and so on but I don’t know if those are their normal instruments. So, I feel like that might not be an accurate label for them. I was fascinated by this band and their constant switching of instrumentation between them. It was almost like when I was in kindergarten and during “music time” the teacher would tell you to pass your instrument down. Yeah, just like that except without the horrible sound produced by a bunch of 5 yr olds. They guys (and gal) are pro. I admit I was taken in by their versatility but their music was delightful and kept me enthralled. Two more cds were purchased that night. (bonus info: Fantastic people. They let me leave the cds with them to make sure that all the band members signed them. When I went to pick them up again they all thanked me profusely. How awesome are they?)

We have now come full circle back to Gomez. My unrequited love now fully realized in one night. It was magical. They played, sang and worked the crowd like pros. When I say “worked the crowd” I do not mean like lounge singers. They made sure that everyone was fully engaged in the show. Talking with the crowd in-between songs and making everyone laugh. The ease of this band had with each other was impressive and inviting. We started out in our seats during “Bring it On” watching the show from a distance, slowly moving from sitting to standing to dancing. By the end of the show we were on the floor and in the front row (yeah, I know how to work it). Options was so good as was my fave song See the World. I also loved Make No Sound. Then as if the show could not be better they announced they were going to bring a special friend up on the stage with them to play a song because it was his birthday. The special guest was…JOSEPH ARTHUR!!! Maybe this is a bigger deal for me because I love him and because of the Gomez show I missed his (same night, but no regrets). The night was complete. We left happy and entertained and with a few new cds.

Two thumbs up for a great night of music.