Monday, September 13, 2010

Hopscotch Day 3: Sharon Van Etten, Midtown Dickens & Lost in the Trees

The second half of the Trekky Records day party at The Pour House was packed. Large amounts of people would leave after every performance, but they were quickly replaced.

Sharon Van Etten returned to the stage less than 24 hours after an incredible set the night before and she packed the house again. The crowd was a little less rowdy than night before and the PA was turned up a notch so it was possible to hear her even in the back of the venue. Instead of ending softly like the night before, Van Etten and her band closed out with a pretty loud rendition of "Don’t Do It" that even included a brief guitar solo from Van Etten.

Midtown Dickens was delayed a bit by a lengthy sound check, but the wait didn’t temper any of the band’s exuberance. They opened enthusiastically with "Old Dogs." The rambunctious group was as excited as a band could be to play and it showed. Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Catherine Edgenton was on the verge of tears of joy as she explained to the audience how inspirational Hopscotch had been to her.

The party ended with Lost in the Trees who filled the entire stage. The brass section took up the left side, the strings took the right and frontman Ari Picker was right in the middle. The layers of their music came through surprisingly well as they filled the room with sounds. The band played through some new tunes as well as material off of their latest record, All Alone in an Empty House. The set had great dynamic range from the quiet and gorgeous solo violin work of Jenavieve Varga to the band’s epic performance of "Fireplace."

It’s a shame the party had to end because it’ll be difficult to find a better folk lineup anywhere you go.

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