words & photos by Natasha Ryan

Daniel Martin Moore opened the show. Then came Haley Bonar. She had the young midwestern waitress feel to her persona, but her performance was commanding and her heartfelt lyrics and arrangements left a strong impression. Following her was a set by A Hawk and a Hacksaw.

Then after what seemed like almost four hours, Great Lake Swimmers took the stage around 12:00am. They played a wonderful hour-long set with the full-on folk ensemble - banjo, acoustic guitars, harmonica and occasional mandolin. Tony Dekker's soft and emotive voice carried the songs, drifting in and out in the delicate arrangements. The highlight was the haunting "Moving Pictures Silent Films"; the audience swayed back and forth in a sincere fixation. They came out for a two song encore, "Changing Colors" and "Large Family" - Natasha Ryan.

Great Lake Swimmers also played a show Friday night at The Bell House in Brooklyn. More pictures from the Saturday night show at Mercury Lounge (1/10), including a shot of the setlist, below...

Continue reading "Great Lake Swimmers & Haley Bonar @ Mercury Lounge - pics "

Photos by Fresh Bread

The amazing Andrew Bird played his second of two nights at Hiro Ballroom in NYC last night before heading to Music Hall of Williamsburg to close out the Barack Rock event with a second, but shorter performace (10/7). More than half of Bird's Hiro set was made up of songs taken from his upcoming album, "Noble Beast." There was whistling. Minnsesota/South Dakota singer-songwriter Haley Bonar opened the show and plays again at Union Hall in Brooklyn tonight (10/8). More pictures and the setlist below...

Continue reading "Andrew Bird @ Hiro Ballroom, NYC - pics, setlist"