Well, I look at it this way: if you’re introducing a gallery of photos for the dreamy art-pop band from Seattle, Two Loons For Tea, you should use a dreamy photo to do it.
I first heard them about five years ago on ‘XRT, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Comparing music is always a dodgy proposition at best, but if one were reminded of a Portishead/Edie Brickell type of thing, you wouldn’t be accused of being far off the mark.
Now, after all these years I’ve finally had the pleasure of seeing TLFT live … right here in my own backyard at McAuliffe’s Pub and, as a double bonus, I had a chance to capture some shots, too.
TLFT consists of Sarah Scott on vocals and Jonathan Kochmer on guitar. Joining them for this leg of their tour were William Kopecky (Kopecky, Far Corner, Par Lindh Project, Snarling Adjective Convention) on Bass; Craig Walkner (Far Corner, Snarling Adjective Convention) on Drums and Tacket Brown on vibes.
They started the evening with a few songs from their new album “Nine Lucid Dreams” and I was hooked from the start. I was really diggin’ on it when suddenly — and sadly — Sarah had to leave the stage due to illness after four songs. I really give her credit for giving it a go, however, as I could tell that something just wasn’t right.
Disappointed, I hung out to see what would happen while the band conferred. After a few minutes, the owner of McAuliffe’s Pub took the stage and announced that Sarah could not continue, but he went on to say that everyone in attendance would receive either a refund or a free CD — their choice — and that the rest of the band were going to carry on anyway.
Very cool!
The rest of TLFT then proceeded to treat us to over an hour of some very ethereal pop-jazz-prog instrumental jams. The combination of percussion, bass, vibes and guitar worked very well, with Kopecky’s bass providing a strong anchor, both rhythmically and melodically. The boy can play and Tacket laid down some very tasty vibe solos as well, while both Kochmer and Walkner wove a rich musical tapestry underneath and around the musical landscape.
So all in all, what could’ve been a train wreck actually turned out to be a really cool evening. It was good to see and hear Sarah for at least a little while and I raise my pint to her for a speedy recovery.
My heartfelt thanks to Sarah, Jonathan, William, Craig and Tacket of TLFT and, of course, JJ, Jill and the rest of the splendid staff at McAuliffe’s Pub.
NEW GALLERY: Two Loons For Tea: McAuliffe’s Pub Racine WI March 28, 2008
Slainte
Gareth—The Celtic Camera Photography
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