The boundaries of Americana music were pushed in a myriad of different directions Wednesday night at the three-quarters-full Turner Hall Ballroom as Elephant Revival, Dead Horses and Trapper Schoepp joined forces for a terrific mid-week triple bill.
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| photo by Stephen Bloch |
Proudly hailing from Nederland, Colorado, Elephant Revival is an eclectic band of uber-talented musical gypsies joined together to create some of the more nuanced-heavy music I've experienced in quite some time. The quintet seamlessly alternated instruments during their engaging headlining set which featured a heavy amount of tracks off the band's excellent release
Petals, which came out last month, along with a solid amount of songs from earlier records. Instruments used in this performance included everything from guitar, banjo, mandolin, pedal steel, fiddle, washboard, cello, horns, and even a musical saw (something I had never seen played before). Elephant Revival excel in creating a sonic aesthetic with layered precise arrangements. Their ethereal sound and harmonies captivated the audience. No wonder Elephant Revival has become a large drawing band out west, and is playing Red Rocks this summer. Despite limited exposure in Milwaukee, they drew a captivated crowd of fans, myself included, who would eagerly see them again.
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| photo by Stephen Bloch |
Dead Horses, the co-headliner of the evening, is an Oshkosh-based quartet fronted by the lush soulful vocals of singer-songwriter, Sarah Vos. Dead Horses have a powerful sound, which is punctuated by the seamless interplay between Vos, guitarist Peter Raboin, and upright bassist Daniel Wolff. Their set ranged from more intimate acoustic arrangements to outright full-on jams. Dead Horses excelled in the more free-forming moments of the evening, and pull off a tight Grateful Deadish vibe when the band gets deep into its grooves. In an ambitious move, Dead Horses covered Radiohead's "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" from their
In Rainbows record, which was a highlight of the evening. Dead Horses performed a great deal of their set list with tunes from their forthcoming new release, which will be a must have for my 2016 music collection once it comes out.
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| photo by Stephen Bloch |
Opening the evening was Milwaukee native Trapper Schoepp, who like Dead Horses and Elephant Revival has an excellent collection of new songs in his repertoire with his latest,
Rangers and Valentines dropped last month. Schoepp, who was joined by his brother Travis on stage, played an acoustic set which focused on his blend of Americana and traditional rock 'n roll vibes. New tracks like "Ballad of Olof Johnson" and "For Jonny" came across warmly and make me want to be sure to check out Trapper Schoepp with his full band soon.
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| photo by Will Piper |
