I'm convinced M. Ward's soul is hundreds of years old. I was floored with his performance last night at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. I apologize for the lousy pic, but there were about 15 signs posted on the stage requesting that no photos be taken. How, in such a short lifespan, has he managed to take in so many influences, and spit them back out as one entity?
My feeling at this show: try to imagine your favorite Dylan (circa Love and Theft), Waits, Young, or Knopfler show, and cram them into one. I felt myself hanging on every word, and I don't think I was alone. This attentiveness was well earned by Ward, as he put so much thought and feeling into each note he delivered. Almost as if he was channeling this music from somewhere else and bringing it to the stage. His voice is amazing: raspy beyond belief, but soothing, not abrasive. A man of few words onstage, he speaks just like he sings. My favorite part of the night was when someone shouted something from the crowd after an interesting rendition of "Let's Dance". It went something like this:
Guy in Crowd: (Inaudible Howl)
M. Ward: "What?"
Guy in Crowd: "That was sick!"
M. Ward, turning to his band, monotone: "That was sick."
And then the music began again.
He's an amazing guitar player, dizzying displays of finger picking and guitar acrobatics. You never knew when he would pull a harmonica out and start wailing, run over to a Wurly, or grab a fresh guitar after busting a string. Moving and swaying through a number of his best work from the new album Post-War, as well as many favorites from Transistor Radio and Transfiguration of Vincent.
The accompanying band was nothing short of spectacular, unfortunately I don't know any of their names. A girl on drums, offering up beautiful harmonies, guitar and bass player alternating between instruments (and one hell of a whistler), and a second percussionist playing drums and vibes.
The second encore featured Ward alone with an acoustic guitar, and it was here in my opinion where he amazed the most. Six strings and a raspy voice in an otherwise deathly silent auditorium. If anybody has this show, please let me know!! If you have a chance to see M. Ward, don't miss it. Here's one of my favs from his new album Post War, the show opened with a recording of the original lo-fi version by Daniel Johnston, and then the band jumped in full force. Check out my pre-show post to see how it lived up to and blew away my expectations.
MP3: M. Ward - To Go Home
Buy Post War
M. Ward's Website
MP3: Daniel Johnston - To Go Home
Buy The What Of Whom
Daniel Johnston's Website
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