Pitchfork

Photos by Kathryn Yu

Move over, James Lipton. Shearwater were scheduled to play a free, outdoor gig at Castle Clinton last night, until inclement weather forced the festivities inside...the Actors Studio? Yes, the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, home to Bravo's long-lived talk show, became the setting for Jonathan Meiburg & co.'s summer set. The makeshift confines nicely accommodated a grand piano and a screen with projected, colored lights as well.

Lipton was a no-show, unfortunately, although the band were on their best behavior anyway. When drummer Thor Harris was asked what his favorite curse word was, he declined to state, as his parents were in the room.

The band played a mix of new material and songs from Palo Santo. As he often does, Meiburg dedicated a song to a figure of nature (this time it was the bald eagle). Shearwater also treated the crowd to their cover of "Baby's on Fire" and an older song, "Mullholland", from their 2001 debut, The Dissolving Room.