Photo by Lauren Dukoff
Priestbird has a gong! A gong in which they used in only one song. I think it’s kind of a waste to have to carry that monster all the way from NYC and barely use it! As far as my show experience goes watching Priestbird this past Saturday, May 8, 2010 at the Bootleg Theater, it was like watching two different bands, which I liked a lot.
My biggest complaint when experiencing a band is getting bored if all the songs sound the same. This is not the case with Priestbird. I love the versatility of sounds these gorgeous boys create. The first half of the set was mellow and pretty, featuring a mandolin and a cello with the drummer taking on most of the lead vocals as in the opening song “Season of the Sun.” The second half of the set however got dirty, folk-freakin’-rockin’, and bluesy which got the crowd doing some enthusiastic head bobbing.
I don’t know the names of these songs because I could only see the first half of their set list, but they tasted a bit like a Led Zeppelin flashback. Word is Stone Gossard has worked on their record which makes sense when you watch/listen to the guitar solos. My friend commented that they should have spread out the songs more alternating between the soft mellow tracks and the dirty blues songs. I disagree. For the sake of the flow of the show it would have been a shame to get the energy going with the blues rock jams and then let it fall for the sake of spreading it out. No, I think they did it just right with the half-and-half set. It just felt so damn good in the intimate Bootleg Theater setting. You will get a tw0-for-one band experience when you check out these boys.
Words: Roxanne H.
