Shearwater @ Zulu

I was riding my new old Bianchi along 4th Av. earlier this afternoon when I suddenly heard an amazing sound coming from Zulu Records. The whole street was paused in awe and turned towards the store, so I parked my bike and crossed the street to find Shearwater performing live! The crowd was no larger than 30 people, and their vintage amplifiers were stacked between the tight rows of used vinyls and the old arcades.

Although I usually need a week or two to fully accept a band into my system, Shearwater managed to really grab my attention after only a few minutes. Their songs brought me the melancholy of Andrew Bird and Beirut mixed with the suspense in Radiohead's Amnesiac....and the voice reminded me of the anguish in Antony and the Johnsons. The voice had an unforgettably pure old school flavor.

Seeing them play in that tiny space to such an intimate crowd was a true privilege. In big festival stages you lose the connection between the band and the audience, and artists can easily hide their flaws by simply increasing the volume or adding a distracting light show. But today at Zulu, you could almost touch the intimacy created by the five musicians who were showing their talent and didn't need a place to hide. It felt raw, real, and pure. I didn't hesitate to buy their CD and find a marker to get it autographed.

All I can add is that I got home two hours ago and I've already listened to their album twice.

(this happened at Fingerprints record store in Long Beach)