1. Remember Committed? Remember how I raved about them? Okay, well, yesterday I met them. All of them. So exciting! Craig happened to be observing a session yesterday, and who should walk in but the a capella geniuses themselves. Needless to say I was seriously reconsidering my life/career choices as I sat at my desk staring at a computer screen and Craig listened to Committed lay down 6-part harmonies all afternoon. But, God smiled on me and the session lasted until about 6pm which meant I got to go by and hear the tail-end of the session and meet Committed. This studio, by the way, is almost directly across the street from our townhouse complex. You can also file this experience under reasons I love Nashville. 2. Also yesterday, I attended a house concert. This is only the 2nd house concert I have attended, the first of which was at the same family’s house. This great couple from our church take it upon themselves to find great artists and get them to come play in their living room. And they provide food. What could be better? Anyway, last night’s featured artist was Pearl and the Beard. We looked them up on YouTube a few days before the concert to see what we could expect, and we were already won over. But nothing could compare to seeing them live. In a living room.
They’re super dynamic. One minute you need complete silence to hear the subtleties in their voices, the next they’re beating on a drum and singing so loud I’m sure the neighbors could hear. Their band consists of two girls and a guy. One plays the cello (I’m sure she’s trained for years), one plays all sorts of percussion/glockenspiel/melodica/you name it, and the guy plays guitar and sometimes drums. All three do a fair amount of stomping and clapping, as noted in the album credits.
Their songs are beautiful and fun, and they’re super talented. A friend described them as nerd-folk, which I think is a pretty accurate description. But they’re not so hipster-abstract that they completely lack melody & rhythm. Perfect blend of artistry and catchiness. Dude’s voice has the sweetest timbre you’ve ever heard. Also they’re quite hilarious. Love. Love love love. Okay. Done gushing. I have some videos I took at the show which I will post later, but here are some youtube videos to get you started!
Their latest album is called “Killing the Darlings.” We bought it last night (apparently it isn’t technically released yet), and it is fantastic. So keep an eye out for that. They have two others you can listen to in the meantime, though.
Alright, too many words. Gotta wrap up. ATHENS friends: They are playing tonight at Flicker Theater for 5 dollars. If you’re able to attend, do it! You won’t be disappointed.