Classic rock melodies and instrumentation combined with a distinctly 2010 demeanor had everyone up and moving at the Showbox at the Market Friday night.
Portland-based Blitzen Trapper headlined the show as part of the City Arts festival. Take one-part Kansas, one-part The Animals, a dash of Bob Dylan, and sprinkle in some influence from contemporaries Wilco and The Avett Brothers and you will have the recipe for Blitzen Trapper.
Electric guitar and drum driven tracks such as "Fire & Fast Bullets" dominated the first 20 minutes of the set, but most captivating was lead singer Eric Earley trading in his Gibson SG for a banjo and later acoustic guitar and harmonica. The more-so acoustic, yet still very upbeat and rousing songs gave the band a sense of being their own rather than just sounding like a classic rock band.
The resemblances to '70s rock were undeniable. In the six-minute epic, "Destroyer of the Void," the band opens with an a capella harmony reminiscent of Queen while the lyrics hinted at Kansas by mentioning "wayward son."
The musicianship for the band was above and beyond what could have been expected. On their recordings you can tell that they are obviously talented, but in the live setting you really get to experience Earley's ability to go from playing a hootenanny banjo line then on the next song play Spanish guitar briefly. Guitarist and vocalist Marty Marquis' harmonies sounded heavenly when matched up with Earley's lead vocals.
When the band played their biggest hit, "Furr," the audience swayed back and forth and sang along with the folklore about turning into a wolf. On other songs, such as "Black River Killer," there was still singing along but more intent listening to the acoustic track with a synth lead that sounds straight out of a '90s Snoop Dogg song.
Blitzen Trapper wasn't the only band captivating the audience. Label-mates Fruit Bats played right before Trapper and had the whole room dancing to their upbeat rhythms and bright guitar lines.
While having some technical difficulties at the beginning, front man Eric Johnson was forced to do a solo acoustic bluesy song while the rest of the band tried to figure out the problem. Johnson's high, nasally, piercing voice wowed the crowd into silence.
Songs such as "When U Love Somebody" were irresistible to smile, laugh and dance to. Being the band's most popular song, most people at the show at least knew how to sing along to the chorus and let themselves go with frantic and happy dancing to the bluegrassy-meets-pop tune.
Icelandic group Seabear made their Seattle concert debut Friday night as well. The mellow, acoustic, seven-part band had a more thoughtful and slow set than Blitzen Trapper and Fruit Bats, but broke up the evening very well with their contrast. The peaceful and soft voice of Sindri Már Sigfússon complemented by the violin and horns made the experience very surreal and serene. The band expressed that they liked Seattle, saying, "You have good fish and good coffee, just like Iceland."[[In-content Ad]]
