At first glance, The Southern Cafe and Music Hall (located on the downtown mall where Gravity Lounge used to be) seems a bare and impersonal shadow of it’s former incarnation. The cozy darkness & vintage air are replaced by solid white paint and little decoration, but I was hesitant to judge, because surely the place is still being put together and broken in, right?

Last night was my first visit to the new and (improved?) listening room and I can safely say that I am excited about it’s potential. The opening act was The Low Anthem, a group who hailed from Rhode Island and served a soothing and syrupy brand of folk that reminded me of Bob Dylan trying to play Bon Iver. The color and feeling were quite pleasing, blending in a small amount of bluesy attitude and  impressively doing a lot of instrument switching, yet a part of me was glad when the set ended and I could step outside and wake myself up. I found myself thinking that Gravity Lounge’s “evening with” seating arrangement might have been more appropriate for the set.

Headliners, Blind Pilot, managed to bring things up a notch and get people’s toes-a-tapping. The crowd was great and definitely reactive to the group’s folk-pop anthems. I certainly caught the down-home, earthy vibe that has been used to describe these guys and their story cements it all together, from moving all around Oregon and even over to England for a brief period, to touring by bicycle down the west coast of the US and Canada. The set was just dynamic enough to not be brushed off as ‘another folk show’, and the band’s confidence and musicianship were indeed impressive. They were able to bring back some of the coziness to the awkward new vibe of the venue. I see big things in the future for both bands.

Related posts:

1. The Southern Hosts Blind Pilot
2. Trees On Fire Take Bel Rio By Burning
3. Bob Schneider @ Gravity Lounge