Pitchfork

No longer a mere tributary of the mighty Okkervil River, rag-tag foursome Shearwater took flight last Saturday at Chicago's Beat Kitchen, proving themselves every bit as mighty-- and considerably more graceful. Foil to Okkervil's manic Will Sheff (who shared songwriting duties on the first three Shearwater records but was not present at this gig), soft-spoken and mild-mannered lead singer Jonathan Meiburg was kind enough to explain the provenance of several tunes from this year's excellent Palo Santo: a beautiful tapestry ("La Dame et la Licorne"), some spooky trees from the Galapagos ("Palo Santo"), and a depiction of the Virgin Mary ascending to heaven on a cloud of babies ("Hail, Mary"). Nice!

Meiburg was just as apt to cast a hush across the audience with his measured delivery as he was to shatter it with a sudden proclamation at high volume-- his band showing restraint, then rocking out correspondingly. The crowd appeared to relish every moment of the all-too-short set: while tuning Meiburg asked if there were any questions, prompting one in attendance to shout, "Are you playing anywhere tomorrow within driving distance?!!"

Photos and remaining tour dates:

Tour dates:

07-07 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge *
07-08 Brooklyn, NY - Sound Fix Records (instore) *
07-08 Philadelphia, PA - Khyber *#
07-10 Washington, DC - Warehouse Next Door *
07-11 Charlotte, NC - Amos' SouthEnd *@
07-13 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington *
07-14 Austin, TX - Emo's *
07-15 Denton, TX - Secret Headquarters

* with the Court & Spark
# with Six Organs of Admittance
@ with Carla Bozulich, the Dead Science