Last week, I took a road trip with my friend to Santa Barbara to see Edward Sharpe, a band who seems to have become everyone's favorite, what with being on numerous commericals now and being featured on the front page of the NY Times article about Coachella. It's no secret, this band's got serious talent. When I saw them at Coachella, I was blown away at how the entire 10+ person band lights up the stage, the adorable "yellow brick road" backdrop" for their stage, and how organic and endearing Jade and Alex are when singing together... but I have to say, that performance didn't even hold a candle to my most recent experience with this fantastic bunch of free-spirited and blissfully rampant musicians. The set began with completely impromptu yet completely heart-worming performances by Tyler James (piano), Jade (vocals), and the rest, playing songs that the audience soon learned were rehearsed for the first time on the bus, or were being played because they held some sentimental personal value to one of the musicians. "We don't really call ourselves a band," James stated, "but rather a group of musicians who like to play together"... and that's what it felt like: I was not some estranged fan watching one of my favorite groups perform, but rather a fellow music lover watching truly down-to-earth human beings doing what they loved most. The group soon came out in full to play actual Edward Sharpe songs, of which I was most moved by the performances of "Janglin," "Up From Below," and "Om Nashi Me," among my other favorites. I think the most tell-tale number for them, although now somewhat cliched, is "Home," because it is so completely obvious how sincere Alex and Jade are when singing their respective parts (something that the pictures below display quite well). As if the group couldn't have connected any more with their audience, the show culminated in Alex coming into the crowd and sitting in a chair in the middle of the audience, as if we were all watching a friend sing in front of a campfire. I cannot say enough good things about this group, it was a spectacular show. Here are some of my photos from the night:
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