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Tobias Jesso Jr played two NYC shows (pics from Baby's)

photos by PSquared Photography; words by Bill Pearis

Tobias Jesso Jr @ Baby’s All Right, 3/27/2015

Canadian sensation Tobias Jesso Jr played two NYC shows last week, coming off his well-reviewed solo debut, Goon, and appearances at SXSW. We caught his show Friday (3/27) at Baby’s All Right, which was as packed as I’ve ever seen it, and pictures from his set are in this post.

Jesso’s album is steeped in a Laurel Canyon retro sound, and he’s not denying those singer-songwriter roots. His label has even made a magazine ad that looks straight out of Rolling Stone or Playboy in 1972 which were in turn made into t-shirts you could buy at the shows. You can spend his whole show picking his songs apart if you want — there’s Carol King, there’s Harry Nilsson, there’s Randy Newman, there’s the Cheers theme song — which is even easier to do when it’s just a man and an electric piano. (He played a couple songs on guitar as well.) But Jesso is a pretty charming guy with self-effacing humor, and the heart-on-sleeve lyrics clearly connect with his audience who were either singing along loudly (like on “How Could You Babe”) or pin-drop quiet. Like him or not, he’s gonna be playing much bigger places next time.

In addition to his own songs, Jesso did a couple covers as well — “Georgia on My Mind” and Big Star’s “Thirteen.” Setlist and more pictures from Baby’s All Right (including some of opener Okay Kaya), below…

Okay Kaya

Oka Kaya

Oka Kaya

Oka Kaya

Oka Kaya

Oka Kaya

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Oka Kaya

Tobia Jesso Jr.

SETLIST: Tobias Jesso Jr @ Baby’s All Right 3/27/2015
Bad Words
Can We Still Be Friends
True Love
The Weight
Tell the Truth
Hey
Just a Dream
Hollywood
Thirteen (Big Star cover)
Without You
Georgia On My Mind
How Could You Babe