Other Lives took the cramped Barrelhouse stage to a packed house and delivered a rousing set of epic, haunting folk rock.
The set list consisted of a selection of tracks from their new album, Tamer Animals, as well as their self-titled debut. For 12 was the most Morricone-influenced of the new material, sporting a beat like a horse’s gallop. For a second encore Tabish went solo with his keyboard and sang Black Tables, the single from their first record, after explaining that he hadn’t played it in three years. With little audience interaction besides a brief “How are you guys doing tonight?” about a quarter into the show, frontman Jesse Tabish nonetheless held the assembled rapt in attention. This is not music that you can easily dance to, nor is it meant to be, so that the crowd remained hushed throughout instead of bursting into chatter was a testament to the band’s abilities.
Instead of paring down their live act as some bands with such complex arrangements and sprawling sound are wont to do, they came prepared with a horde of instruments. Tabish played both guitar and one of the five or so keyboards on stage, in addition to doing the lion’s share of the singing. His is a howl of the Thom Yorke variety, pounding out lyrics that are about seventy percent unintelligible to no detriment of Other Lives’ overall enjoyability. Jenny Hsu contributed enchanting, ghostly backing vocals as well as superior cello playing. Jonathan Mooney alternated between organ, violin, and guitar with deftness. Drummer Colby Owens at one point brandished what I believe was a clarinet, and Josh Onstott doubled as both bassist Mellotron operator. All the players added up to a sound reminiscent of Arcade Fire by way of spaghetti western.
The acoustics and sound work at the Barrelhouse were super solid, every instrument and every howl came through clear. It’s a warm, wood-paneled venue, like a grandparent’s house but with beer and cute girls instead of pop pop. The second floor hosts some of the more comfortable chairs in which I’ve ever drank a Tecate, and I’ve drank some Tecates in some uncomfortable chairs. A post-show keg malfunction killed the atmosphere in a high school party kind of way, but the staff remained friendly and affable throughout. It’s a shame the place isn’t open full time.
Having gone in only slightly familiar with them, I was pleased to enjoy Other Lives as much as I did. They performed a compelling set of indie folk tinged with just enough of a western touch as to make them stand apart.
Reviewed by Ivan Hernandez
Photos by Ivan Hernandez
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Other Lives – For 12 from Tamer Animals (2011)