Kicking off the school year with Brothers and the Viking Process

Well, this semester is off to a great start so far! After all, there's just nothing better than listening to a couple of rockin' bands in a bar on a Sunday night.

First up on the small Highwire Lounge stage was the Viking Progress featuring solo musician Patrick Morales. Very sweet, often melancholy, lyrics characterized his songs as they flowed into live acoustic guitar tunes and beautiful melodies brought into being with a bow drawn across the strings of a banjo. Using a live recording method to create repeating backing vocals that resembled a ghostly chorus of voices, he harmonized with himself, building a rather unique style of sound. Morales also incorporated other curious tools into his music including snatches of sound from an old radio before ending each of his songs rather abruptly. I love musicians that bring something different to the metaphorical table!

I must say, though, it was quite an interesting experience to watch a full show performed at the Highwire. Every time I've been there in the past, it was merely a bar filled with people screaming to be heard. But shows like these bring it fully into the scene!

Moments after the Viking Progress had played his last note, Brothers stepped onstage to mix it up with their fun, indie pop take on classic rock. The band's all-encompassing sound was, without a doubt, music to groove to, and the growing crowd took notice, standing up and dancing as they played. After a while, I found myself so immersed in the show that I got completely lost in the tunes, any sense of time or place passing out of my awareness. What a show!