Bahamas with David McMillin- Shank Hall, January 28, 2015

photo courtesy of Steven Bloom

Bahamas is the stage name for Canadian singer-songwriter, Afie Jurvanen who has quickly become one of the fastest growing and most buzzed about acts on the scene today.  Simply put, Bahamas makes fun, lively music. Granted, it's not necessarily music that is going to redefine the indie-folk sound, but it's playful, enjoyable music that can brighten your spirits on a chilly January evening or serve as a solid part of a summer soundtrack.  Many comparisons have been made between Afie Jurvanen and his Brushfire Records label mate, Jack Johnson, and for good reason.  Both artists can pen personal tunes with a light touch. 

The distinguishing feature that sets Bahamas' music apart from other acts is Afie's self-taught, somewhat unconventional and loosely jammy guitar style.  His live show certainly showcased this style of playing well, and made the songs take on a vibrant life different than hearing them on the records.   Afie's vocal delivery is smooth, and his solid range is seen in many of his tracks. 

Often harmonizing with his female bass player and guitarist, Afie delivered a straight forward, and most importantly fun stage set for an hour and fifteen minutes which had the near capacity crowd singing along, swaying and having enjoying life for a while.  Not surprisingly, a good chunk of the set came from 2014's critically acclaimed, Bahamas is Afie record, which found Afie Jurvanen composing some of his more personal and reflective songs to date.  Highlights included, the whimsical, "Bitter Memories," the sway-worthy "Waves," and the energetic, "Little Record Girl."

Opening for Bahamas was David McMillin, the singer/guitarist/pianst from the Chicago-based quartet, Fort Frances.  Like Afie Jurvanen, McMillin is an extremely engaging performer who pulls in the crowd with his honest, narrative song-writing, which is trademarked by vivid similes and memorable imagery.  McMillin started his set with just a handful of folks standing by the stage, and the by the end of his set had the majority of the crowd packed up front to take part in this intimate set.  McMillin's set featured a lot of his own material, including: "Heartsteady," "These Days," "I Will Leave the Rest Behind," and his latest track, "Dreaming Backwards,"  McMillin also played a smattering of tracks recently recorded in Maine as part of the next Fort Frances record.  Based on the warm reaction from the crowd, which included a young woman asking McMillin after his set to sign her jacket, I think it's safe say many of the folks who came to see Bahamas would love to hear more of David McMillin as well.

photo courtesy of Steven Bloom

S.Carey- Cedarburg Cultural Center, 1/24/15

When asked in a recent interview how he would describe his sound, singer-songwriter Sean Carey (who performs under the moniker S.Carey) replied, “I always want my music to sound beautiful. I want people to have an emotional response to it. I want it to be moving.”  This description was spot on for S.Carey’s captivating performance at the Cedarburg Cultural Center on Saturday, January 24th.

S.Carey pushes the boundaries of the traditional singer-songwriter format of acoustic guitars and vocals.  Instead, he and his bandmates incorporate soulful lyrics set against a tapestry of sounds that, in isolation, may seem disjointed, but together allow the music to take on formative shape.  The instruments used during the two set performance alone help tell the tale of the sonic layers S.Carey creates : there was Sean on piano, a violinist/guitarist, a pedal-steel player, and a drummer/vocalist who also occasionally played the guitar.  Each musician had electronic instruments, too, to create effects and loops during the atmospheric jams that accompanied many of the numbers.

Music is all about the details for S.Carey, and the pristine acoustics of the Cedarburg Cultural Center made this a perfect venue in which to experience his “beautiful music.”  You could clearly hear the the musicians’ innovative playing throughout the set, and these slight nuances shaped the rich timbre of the music.  Some examples included the drummer using brush strokes and soft mallets instead of traditional sticks for most of the songs, and also running his fingers around the symbols to create a sort of hushed screech.  The lonely whine of the pedal steel interjected itself amidst the ethereal vibrations of the electric violin. All of these layers were set against Sean Carey’s exceptional work Musicianship creating piano driven melodies.

As an acclaimed percussionist, S.Carey clearly arranged his music for drums to take a prominent role, having the drummer in the front of the stage and using a variety of different percussion techniques in the songs.   This was seen from the first tune “Move” 2010’s All We Grow album, a heavily nuanced tune that featured rain sounds, brushwork drumming, and violin accents to create an opening jam before the tune started.  Other highlights included “Crown the Pines,” a stellar track 2014’s Range of Light LP, which draws many similarities to the music of Sufjan Stevens.  “In The Stream,” a tune Sean admitted was one of his favorites, stood out for its catchy repetitive piano layer, as did “Chrysalis,” my personal favorite song of the set, that Sean wrote about being a father.   The first set closed with a cover of Radiohead’s “Bulletproof… I Wish I Was,” a homage to Sean’s favorite band, and a clear influence in his music.

After a brief break, the band returned for a second set of tunes, which spanned all stages of S.Carey’s catalogue.  The three song series of “Avalanche” from 2012’s Hoyas EP, “Fire-Scene” and “Alpenglow” from Range of Light anchored the set and fully engaged the crowd who was as polite as I’ve ever seen throughout the entire performance.  By the time S.Carey closed the show with the uplifting finale off of * from Range of Light, “Neverending Fountain,” the crowd enthusiastically responded with a standing ovation.

At one point in the set Sean quipped about the last time he was in Cedarburg was for soccer tournament while he was playing high school soccer in Lake Geneva.  We hope that S.Carey won’t be away from the ‘Burg that long again.  S.Carey & co. accomplished their mission of ‘moving the crowd’ at the Cedarburg Cultural Center with his “beautiful music”… that is for sure.

Opening for S.Carey as Len Voy, a new band of musicians who grew up in Ozaukee County and came together at UW-Eau Claire.

The Americana trio feature an electric guitarist, violinist and singer/acoustic guitarist/kick-drummer Nick Lanser.  The band’s brief set was captivating and Len Voy received a riveting ovation from the crowd who clearly wanted to hear more tunes from this great up-and-coming act.

S.Carey Setlist:
Set I:
Move
Creaking
Crown the Pines
Mothers
Action
In the Stream
Chrysalis
Bulletproof… I Wish I Was*

Set II:
Glass
Marfa
Avalanche
Fire-Scene
Alpenglow
All We Grow
Bjork
Neverending Fountain

Review originally appeared in Ozaukee Magazine: