This October ex-Walkmen Peter Matthew Bauer teamed up with Delta Spirit for a show at Union Transfer, and Root Down in the Shadow was there to check out a show from artists heading in new directions.
Peter Matthew Bauer
In the aftermath of a breakup (or even an “extreme hiatus”), the term “liberation” is not used loosely, so when ex-Walkmen bassist/keyboardist Peter Matthew Bauer chose the word as the title of his new solo release, Liberation!, we should pay attention. Bauer brought his new record and his new band to Union Transfer this October, and with them came a high-energy set that showcased a liberated Bauer in a new role with a new sound.
In many ways, Bauer’s new songs tell a story of freedom. Walkmen fans who love the band’s straight-forward driving rock songs will find something different here. These are the songs of a rhythm man searching for different ground. Bauer’s new sound is a Dylan meets Replacements rock combo, and he is flanked by the big sounds of his three female backing vocalists (whose soaring, lush Ronettes-style vocals are so forward in the mix, that there is nothing “backing” about them.) At Union Transfer, Bauer emphatically took listeners on a tour-de-force of rhythm.
While Bauer and his combo presented themselves visually as a tight English combo, the songs cascaded over a range of sonic variety: from skiffle to prominent afro-Cuban style shifts and back again. Some songs, such as “Latin American Ficciones” overtly present these ideas, with the toms banging out heavy accents within a 3:2 son clave while the guitars and voice drive home the songs catchy hooks. The Latin rhythms in other songs are subtler. At first listen, “Fortune Teller” was the most Walkmen-style song of the whole set, but even this straight-up rocker featured the trio of backing vocalists playing percussion, most prominent were the traditional Latin percussion instrument, the claves.
Most noteworthy within the set was how Bauer has embraced liberation within his new role as frontman and musical director. His new record is hip, enthusiastic, and refreshing, and the energy of his live show reflects his excitement. Liberation! is a record to explore. The lyrics are heavily based in eastern philosophies; the world rhythms ignite the songs with deep-rooted passion. Bauer’s musical landscape is a place of spiritual and sonic birth, and the good keeps coming. Last Friday he released his new single, “You Always Look for Someone Lost” as part of Philadelphia’s Weathervane Music’s “Shaking Through” series. Check it out at http://weathervanemusic.org/shakingthrough/episodes/petermatthewbauer .
Delta Spirit
Delta Spirit proved to be an interesting pairing with Bauer. Following Bauer, the headliners tore up the stage with the energy of youth and the precision of touring pros. Unlike Bauer’s raw, even intimate Havana club atmosphere, Delta Spirit’s live show is a technical orchestration timed to the second. With light-shows and projected images flashing in perfect synchronicity to the music, it was, at first, easy to chalk of Delta Spirit’s new sound as falling victim to modern manufacturing. It seemed as though spontaneity was sacrificed for pre-programmed tempos; and for a moment, it begged the question: is this real, or illusion?
But there is something about Delta Spirit that insists legitimacy. The band is wholly inviting, and their unending enthusiasm and energy on stage is the hallmark of their set. This band lays it all on the line for it’s fans. The lights and images are part of it, but at its core Delta Spirit is about great music. Throughout the whole 90-minute set the sound never stopped; even in between songs the band connected with the audience while synthesizers built an atmosphere of anticipation. Like a great plot, tension was built and eased in genuine perfection. The show climaxed with frontman Matthew Vasquez lifting a still-soloing William McLaren onto his shoulders.
By the night’s end, Delta Spirit was easy to embrace. The adoration from their fans was matched in the band’s graciousness; togetherness was the theme of the evening. Through their lyrics, energy, and craft, Delta Spirit are about the five-minute moments in life you embrace and remember; they are the anthem to the silent films we replay in our teenage hearts.
Peter Matthew Bauer
In the aftermath of a breakup (or even an “extreme hiatus”), the term “liberation” is not used loosely, so when ex-Walkmen bassist/keyboardist Peter Matthew Bauer chose the word as the title of his new solo release, Liberation!, we should pay attention. Bauer brought his new record and his new band to Union Transfer this October, and with them came a high-energy set that showcased a liberated Bauer in a new role with a new sound.
In many ways, Bauer’s new songs tell a story of freedom. Walkmen fans who love the band’s straight-forward driving rock songs will find something different here. These are the songs of a rhythm man searching for different ground. Bauer’s new sound is a Dylan meets Replacements rock combo, and he is flanked by the big sounds of his three female backing vocalists (whose soaring, lush Ronettes-style vocals are so forward in the mix, that there is nothing “backing” about them.) At Union Transfer, Bauer emphatically took listeners on a tour-de-force of rhythm.
While Bauer and his combo presented themselves visually as a tight English combo, the songs cascaded over a range of sonic variety: from skiffle to prominent afro-Cuban style shifts and back again. Some songs, such as “Latin American Ficciones” overtly present these ideas, with the toms banging out heavy accents within a 3:2 son clave while the guitars and voice drive home the songs catchy hooks. The Latin rhythms in other songs are subtler. At first listen, “Fortune Teller” was the most Walkmen-style song of the whole set, but even this straight-up rocker featured the trio of backing vocalists playing percussion, most prominent were the traditional Latin percussion instrument, the claves.
Most noteworthy within the set was how Bauer has embraced liberation within his new role as frontman and musical director. His new record is hip, enthusiastic, and refreshing, and the energy of his live show reflects his excitement. Liberation! is a record to explore. The lyrics are heavily based in eastern philosophies; the world rhythms ignite the songs with deep-rooted passion. Bauer’s musical landscape is a place of spiritual and sonic birth, and the good keeps coming. Last Friday he released his new single, “You Always Look for Someone Lost” as part of Philadelphia’s Weathervane Music’s “Shaking Through” series. Check it out at http://weathervanemusic.org/shakingthrough/episodes/petermatthewbauer .
Delta Spirit
Delta Spirit proved to be an interesting pairing with Bauer. Following Bauer, the headliners tore up the stage with the energy of youth and the precision of touring pros. Unlike Bauer’s raw, even intimate Havana club atmosphere, Delta Spirit’s live show is a technical orchestration timed to the second. With light-shows and projected images flashing in perfect synchronicity to the music, it was, at first, easy to chalk of Delta Spirit’s new sound as falling victim to modern manufacturing. It seemed as though spontaneity was sacrificed for pre-programmed tempos; and for a moment, it begged the question: is this real, or illusion?
But there is something about Delta Spirit that insists legitimacy. The band is wholly inviting, and their unending enthusiasm and energy on stage is the hallmark of their set. This band lays it all on the line for it’s fans. The lights and images are part of it, but at its core Delta Spirit is about great music. Throughout the whole 90-minute set the sound never stopped; even in between songs the band connected with the audience while synthesizers built an atmosphere of anticipation. Like a great plot, tension was built and eased in genuine perfection. The show climaxed with frontman Matthew Vasquez lifting a still-soloing William McLaren onto his shoulders.
By the night’s end, Delta Spirit was easy to embrace. The adoration from their fans was matched in the band’s graciousness; togetherness was the theme of the evening. Through their lyrics, energy, and craft, Delta Spirit are about the five-minute moments in life you embrace and remember; they are the anthem to the silent films we replay in our teenage hearts.
Peter Matthew Bauer - Shaking Through from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.
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