Carl Broemel with Dave Simonett, SPACE, Evanston, IL , 11/18/16

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

There is a simple beauty that made the performance by Carl Broemel and Dave Simonett work on so many different levels. This theme encompassed a crisp fall Friday evening, starting with a My Morning Jacket "Jackitivists" meet up at a local Evanston pub & grill, to the exquisitely intimate venue SPACE, to the individual sets by the musicians themselves.  While best know for work in their respective groups-- Broemel is the lead guitarist extraordinaire for My Morning Jacket, and Simonett the virtuoso songwriter and front man for Trampled by Turtles-- the solo performances and joint collaborations by these two prolific artists just seemed to "click" amid the cozy confines of SPACE. With a stage that slightly protrudes into the crowd, seats line all three sides of the stage, and dimly lit cabaret tables are sprinkled throughout the venue, allowing for concert goers to take in the performance within close proximity of the artist, in a room with pristine acoustics.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

The evening began with a solo set by Simonett who played many newer or solo compositions with a smattering of tunes penned for Trampled by Turtles mixed in.  Simonett without the high powered bluegrass/Americana ramblings of his Trampled bandmates is an all-togetether different artist.  His songs showcased his narrative songwriting style with a humble, earnest, and subdued delivery.  The set highlight was when Simonett invited Broemel onstage to perform a sweeping rendition of "Midnight on the Interstate," perhaps my favorite Trampled by Turtles track, with Broemel adding rich timbre to the song through his saxophone work.

After a brief break, Broemel came on stage, performing a large part of his set from his recently released solo record 4th of July.  While Broemel may be best known for wailing on his axe alongside Jim James on high powered rock 'n roll numbers, make no mistake about it, Broemel is a solid song smith with a style uniquely his own.  In many ways, Broemel's work provides both a sensitivity and rawness which often is not seen as much in My Morning Jacket material.  Highlights included a hauntingly beautiful rendition of "Rockingchair Dancer," a well-placed cover of Radiohead's "Pyramid Song," an intimately perfect rendering of "Carried Away" (a stalwart track off of Broemel's first record, All Birds Say, from 2012), and a jammed out "one-man-band" epic "Fourth of July."

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

However, Broemel and Simonett saved the best for last, as the duo converged on a stripped down rendition of Leonard Cohen's masterpiece, "Hallelujah," which sent the crowd home with goosebumps.  The interplay between Simonett's soaring vocals and Broemel's guitar work on this cover was beautifully simple, as was their entire performance.

Carl Broemel Setlist:

1. Crawlspace
   Play Video
2. In the Dark
   Play Video
3. Best Of
   Play Video
4. Snowflake
   Play Video
5. Rockingchair Dancer
   Play Video
6. Landing Gear
   Play Video
7. Sleepy Lagoon
   Play Video
8. Pyramid Song
   (Radiohead cover)
   Play Video
9. 4th of July
   Play Video
10. Retired
    Play Video
11. Carried Away
    Play Video
12. Hallelujah
    (Leonard Cohen cover)

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch