The Run River North with The Lighthouse & The Whaler concert was amazing!  It took place in The Blind Pig last night at around 8:30pm.  I had never been to the venue before, and I was surprised by its intimacy.  It only fits around 400 people, and there are places to sit lined along the walls.  My friend and I stood in front of the stage.

The Lighthouse & The Whaler played first.  I was struck by their music’s resonance.  Michael LoPresti’s voice was sometimes entrancingly quiet, but at other moments he sang with a vocal power that reminded me a bit of the energy of Mumford & Sons.

They played songs from their new album, Mont Royal; “Venice,” their most popular song (according to my friend); and occasionally lapsed into instrumental verses that carried a genuine, raw passion.  It was infectious, and whenever they launched into one, I found myself grinning.

Their songs had a certain “exponential energy,” meaning the song gained momentum as it went on.  Their entire performance soon made itself out to be that way, as well.  There was a certain beauty in that style of performing because it made each song like a new chapter in an exciting book.

They played “Pioneer,” which I managed to record.  The entire band would sort of mimic the feel of the song they were playing, like they were trying to embody it.  It was very cool to witness.  Another example is on video here.

To make a great night even better, after the band was finished playing, we got to take a photo with Michal LoPresti!

A few minutes after The Lighthouse & The Whaler, Run River North took the stage.  They opened their set by playing the song from Jurassic Park.  This was the band’s second time at The Blind Pig, their first time inspiring a (successful) marriage proposal.  The now married couple was in the audience!

They played a few of my favorites, including “Run Or Hide,” “Ghost,” “Foxbeard,” “Excuses,” “Anthony,” and a song from their new album called “Intro: (Funeral) Parade.”  “Foxbeard” was different from some of their other songs because it was much more melodic and initially slow.  It too built energy as it went on, ending on a very empowering, sonorous note.

Alex Hwang, the lead vocalist, gave the audience a bit of an insight about their new album, Drinking From A Salt Pond.  He said they didn’t want to come back to Ann Arbor and make the audience pay money for the same show, so “I grew out my hair and wrote some new songs.”

He also discussed how in playing his songs for an audience, he is giving them away to us.  It was an interesting concept.  It’s true – once we hear a song, we associate certain memories and emotions with the song for the rest of our lives.  In that way, we make the song ours.  He described the process as “giving away” songs.

The last song Run River North played was beautiful.  It’s called “Growing Up,” and I highly recommend you listen to it.  Hwang encouraged the audience to “scream the lyrics” if we knew them, and the result was this beautiful, all-encompassing harmony of the band and the audience singing together.  It was a wonderful moment and I will always remember Run River North because of it.

The Ark, traditionally a “listening room,” at the request of The Oh Hellos, tried something a bit different: to the right and left of the stage they had marked designated dance floors. Considering the liveliness of the two bands and the youthfulness of the crowd, this was for the best–had they not sanctioned it, it likely still would have occurred. But these “dance floors” containing a couple dozen people were not enough to fundamentally shift the character of The Ark; most patrons remained sitting in the various rows and clusters of chairs.

The opening act was a lively folk group called The Collection. They were good on their own merit, but as an opening, they were particularly well-suited to playing for a band like The Oh Hellos. Their sound had a way of going crazy, with all sorts of instruments chiming in, all sorts of different noises forming a cohesive whole. They had eight members on stage switching between various instruments–from saxophones to keyboards–and great enthusiasm. The audience would clap along during their songs and explode in a chorus of hooting and clapping in between songs. It was evident that some members were not being freshly exposed to this group, but I think many were experiencing them for the first time. Furthermore, unlike The Oh Hellos, they had not played in Ann Arbor before.

Still, when The Oh Hellos came on, it was no question that it was their show. They started off with some of their more recent songs from the album Dear Wormwood, but as the night went on, older hits like “Hello My Old Heart” and “In the Valley” crept in, much to the audience’s delight. Their music oscillated between softly sung melodies and swingin’ stompin’ folk; at times, one would be leaning in, basking in the intimacy of the moment between the singer and herself, and in the next, with a little rise, a little warning, one would find oneself stampeded with the fury of sound, with the dumping of emotion. The whole band had a way of getting in to it–the various string players, when there was no easy way to prance around at the front of the stage, would stomp and jump and shake in the island between the drummers and the singers. This gave off the impression that they weren’t behaving like this as part of the performance, that it wasn’t for our benefit, but because this was their natural response, this was how they played their music and how it made them feel. Even the least mobile musicians, like the drummers, would get as much into it as they could.

In brief interludes between songs, The Oh Hellos would chat a bit, banter here and there, and just be generally funny–yet, something was off. There was clearly some discomfort among them in regards to how different this audience was from previous ones. A handful of times they told the seated audience that if they wished, they could get up and dance, but no one took the bait. They played to a room of primarily sitting people and although it was clear that the audience loved them, the energy was not the same. Even among those standing in the “dance floors,” the energy was lackluster compared to what it might have been if the whole venue was standing and dancing along (they did, at least, manage to sing along). The Ark is not a stage for this kind of livelihood–The Ark, as they love to talk about, offers amazing acoustics, but their venue is designed in a way that encourages passive listening, sitting and maybe clapping, the kind of listening where you get to bask in the glory of the music but not participate yourself. For its usual older audience, this might be acceptable, but when a band like The Oh Hellos comes to town who rely on the audience’s energy and want to have that kind of interaction, The Ark is simply not suited to their performance (even if they’re a folk band), no matter how many “dance floors” they designate.

Run River North is an alternative / indie band from San Fernando Valley, CA.  Its members consist of Alex Hwang (Vocals/Acoustic Guitar), Daniel Chae (Electric Guitar/Violin), Jennifer Rim (Violin), Joseph Chun (Bass), John Chong (Drums), and Sally Kang (Vocals/Keys).  They just release a new album, called Drinking From A Salt Pond.  It is available to pre-order from iTunes here!

The Lighthouse & The Whaler, who will be opening for Run River North, is a band from Cleveland, OH!  Its members are Michael LoPresti, Matthew LoPresti, Mark Porostosky, and Ryan Walker.  Their new album, Mont Royal, is available on Spotify and iTunes / Google Play.

I’ve never seen either of these groups before, but from what I’ve heard, they’re definitely bands to listen to!  They will be playing tomorrow at The Blind Pig.  Doors open at 8pm!