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