Concert Review - Brown Bird @ The Note, West Chester Pa Feb 23, 2012

David Lamb & MorganEve Swain of Brown Bird - Photo by Dan McGurk

Ahh, Brown Bird opening for the Devil Makes Three, it was to finally happen!  I was so, pumped for this show.  Having seen Brown Bird at Newport Folk Festival and World Cafe Live with both times being awesome, I was ready for more!  The Devil Makes Three was to headline whom I also saw for part of their set at Newport Folk Festival, and I couldn't wait for a full set!  Both bands I've listened to over and over again throughout the summer, fall and now winter.  In late fall, it almost came to be, when they were announced as tour partners, but it didn't happen, at least not for Philly.  But the Devil Makes Three was going back out on tour with Flogging Molly and filled in some dates with none other than Brown Bird.  Yeah, it was going to happen!

But it gets better; I even had the chance, sickness permitting, to interview Peter Bernhard of the Devil Makes Three the day prior!  But there it was, just hours before the show, Brown Bird was heading to town as the opener for their musical cohorts the Devil Makes Three, and sickness reared its ugly head.  The Devil Makes Three pulled out of the show.

Brown Bird was already in from Providence, RI, gear ready, band ready.  So, Brown Bird became the opener, headliner, all of the above.  The show became free ($1 service charge due to liquor rules), so what the hell, right?

Like many others who didn't get the news, I had already made my plans for the show.  But, I was going to keep on going.  I didn't understand the MANY that walked away.  It was pretty clear to me Brown Bird was playing a free show and The Devil Makes Three was rescheduling so, to quote Eddie Vedder, "Why go home?"

Dave & MorganEve  Photo by Dan McGurk

Doors opened at 8, but the show wasn't going to go on until 9:30.  The bar had to make its money somehow right?  Luckily for me, David Lamb and his beard are easily spotted.  Fortuitously for me, it was even easier as he pulled up one spot over at the bar.  While others were chiding their luck traveling to West Chester only to find the Devil Makes Three pulled out, I was counting my lucky stars as the fantastic MorganEve Swain, pulled up the stool in between Dave & I!  While they added songs to the original set list, we filled up the time with random topics from beard grooming habits, tour partners, and lyrical muse.

And for those keeping score, the preferred grooming timetable for David Lamb's beard is less than annual.  And according to MorganEve, she is not the muse of 'Cast No Shadow' which features a wrathful female angered by her mate.  At least not that Dave will admit to.

Undeterred by the sparse crowd, Brown Bird continued onward providing a show to remember for each and every person that stuck around un-phased by the late cancellation.  Looking back at my notes, "spirited", "lively', "wow" and "F'ing awesome" were some of my jumbled texts entered into my phone ,to describe the show.  This was no cross-armed show, as boredom had no chance.

The list highlights of the show was long, including the above mentioned "F'ing awesome" 'Blood of Angels, a hypnotic banjo plucking on "love song" 'Severed Soul', a bluesy 'Sickle and Hood', and a crowd pleasing, yet stripped 'Needy Generator.  A few stories slipped through, such as the brief explanation of 'Wrong Black Mare' as a gambling song, but the set was mainly song after song that the crowd just ate up.  'Bilgewater' brought out the loudest verses from David Lamb, while 'Come My Way' elicited the liveliest violin parts for MorganEve. 

22 of 26 songs were played from 2009's The Devil Dancing and the recent, incredible, release Salt for Salt, leaving out just a few.  The only musical stray was Dave playing the violin parts on guitar while MorganEve continued on with her bass. 

MorganEve Swain & David Lamb : Photo by Dan McGurk

The end of the night was an incredible three song segment, including hoe-down worthy, 'Bottom of the Bottle' and pulse raising 'Cast No Shadow'.  Since there was a brief re-stringing before 'Cast No Shadow' the crowd was rewarded with the shortest of stage exits before the encore.  To the crowds delight, the encore was a cover of 'Jackson', originally made famous by June Carter & Johnny Cash!



Set List - Brown Bird @ the Note February 23rd, 2012
Song Title & Original album/artist
1.   Fingers To The Bone   Salt For Salt
2.   Thunder and Lightning  Salt For Salt
3.   Muck & Mire              The Devil Dancing
4.   Blood of Angels           Salt For Salt
5.   By The Reins               The Devil Dancing
6.   Wrong Black Mare      The Devil Dancing
7.   Rat Tail File                 The Sound Of Ghosts
8.   Danger and Dread       The Devil Dancing
9.   Down To The River     The Devil Dancing
10. Gallows                      The Devil Dancing
11. Severed Soul               The Devil Dancing
12. Come My Way           Salt For Salt
13. Needy Generator        The Devil Dancing
14. Ragged Old Town       The Sound Of Ghosts
15. Sickle and Hood         The Devil Dancing
16. Bilgewater                   Salt For Salt
17. End of Days                 Salt For Salt
18. Nothing Left                Salt For Salt
19. Shiloh                          Salt For Salt
20. Mabel Grey                 The Devil Dancing
21. Bottom Of The Bottle  Salt For Salt
22. Cast No Shadow        Salt For Salt
Encore 
23. Jackson                       June &Johnny Cash




To catch them on tour try brownbird.net/shows/, including the May 10th Johnny Brenda's show with Horse Feathers

To pick up their recent album try brownbird.bandcamp.com/