Ben Schwab says that the band has been playing on the road for so long this year, that with only two dates remaining on the current tour he is really looking forward to drinking a few beers and meeting people at the merch desk tonight. Not that you could detect any signs of weariness or burn out in the performance of this very talented trio.
The band name is the creation of founder member Ben Schwab and it is in tribute to his father, John, who once stood on the verge of a record contract back in the 70s before it was all taken away from him. His father was part of the psych-folk band Mad Anthony, and a few years back, Ben discovered some old recordings in a box while cleaning out an old room. Ben decided to put the songs into a modern context and in addition he picked one of the cover versions, a song by Matthews Southern Comfort titled Sylvie, to include on his 2022 album of the same name. That album was a real treat in a year of great music releases and at just seven songs and twenty-eight minutes it remains one of my enduring memories of last year.
Tonight, performing with the talented Laura Jean Anderson on vocals and Keven Louis Lareau on guitar and vocals, Schwab delivers an hour of drop-dead gorgeous tunes, beautifully played and sung with the most sublime harmony vocals. The short set is entirely satisfying and in no way something that disappoints the rapt audience that hang on every moment. Sometimes that old cliché ‘less is more’ actually makes sense and this was one of those nights. The guitar interplay is incredibly impressive as both Schwab and Lareau dove-tail around the melody and deliver harmony vocals that are very reminiscent of CSN and that old Laurel Canyon vibe that created such timeless music. Anderson is such a beautiful singer and some of her moments are truly special as she elevates the songs to new heights with her vocal warmth and quiet power. At times if one closes their eyes, echoes of Linda Ronstadt spring to mind in the phrasing and tone of her voice.
Most of the songs from last year’s album are played with, Further Down the Road Rosaline, Stealing Time and Falls On Me all building a beautiful atmosphere in the room. The song Sylvie is itself a standout with the understated playing just perfectly judged as Schwab takes lead and Lareau threads rhythm through the wrap-around vocals. The band try out a new song, as yet untitled, and an older song Rina is included as a cover of an original Mad Anthony track. Two other cover songs are performed and the Beatles song Blackbird and the Buffalo Springfield song Flying On The Ground Is Wrong are interpreted with great originally, making them instantly recognisable and yet very much in the fashion of the unique Sylvie sound.
Schwab promises a return visit with a bigger band and I can only put you on notice as the prospect of adding pedal steel and keyboards to this sublime music is simply mouthwatering. The song Are You Coming? opened the show as an invite for the audience to join Sylvie on the journey that was about to unfold – I am so glad that I was along for the ride. Watch this space…
Review and photography by Paul McGee