"Yea, um, left seems good."
This was the talk that went on once we reached the University of Washington, which is practically its own city. The problem with the campus (and i love the campus, don't get me wrong) is that there is no central point. The moment you feel as though you in the middle of the campus, turns out you're actually on the outskirts or in some strange campus suburb.
Needless to say, we were lost on our way to see The Long Winters play the Union Building at UW. After asking five people where the place was we found parking and headed in. The room was like an old gym, and the hardly anyone was there at 7:50, ten minutes before the show was to start. I got a strange feeling in my gut like this would be one of the worst concerts I would ever go to, and my last at this Union Building.
It was a diverse crowd, not all students. Adults and even children slowly filled the room. We were right up at the front and got excited once the lights went down. An ensemble of seven young men in business suits gathered on the stage and grabbed their instruments.
A Native American looking guy with hair down to the middle of his back said the first words into a microphone to the left of the stage:
"Hey thanks for coming for the opening band, we're Awesome."
That could have been the best introduction to any live music event I've ever been to (yeah, I've been around). The bands name was, in fact, "Awesome," and yes, they were in fact, awesome. The band consisted of so many instruments I don't feel like naming but included the banjo, mandolin, guitar, drums, and saxophone. If you've ever been in a choir, you could tell these guys were choir boys. The way they looked, acted, sang, and wrote, they were choir boys. They busted in with their first song which was an array of key and tempo changes with complex riffs on every note that fit so well together. They never took themselves seriously, always laughing and having a good time. The entire band was so relaxed, yet professional it was incredible. I just put my hand over my mouth and looked at Sean. The key to these guys was the fact that they made everything look so easy. While making incredibly complex chords changes and movements they would smile, laugh, and even dance quite a bit. Their melodies and harmonies are reminecent of a mixture of The Beatles and Tally Hall (winner of the 2005 John Lennon Songwriters Contest). If you want to see a great live show, see if "Awesome" is around.
After my face was done melting, The Long Winters took the stage in a very nonchalaunt and comfortable way. They didn't act like rockstars, but more like your friend. I love this. The front man for the group, John Roderick showed such ease with the crowd. When he got on stange he made a solid rock stance yelling, "Hello Husky Union Building!" as if he were greeting Cleveland. They opened with a fat version of, "Carparts" thick with Les Paul distortion and round Fender Bass. Throughout the show, Roderick gave the greatest stage banter I've heard in a while.
"I went to the University of Washington you know...didn't granduate...thanks for asking. But I never knew this existed. I had heard of it, but never came here. I went downstairs, of course, because...I like tacos."
He was very relaxed and just talked to you. Never tried to impress anyone. At one point during a guitar solo, Roderick's guitar came unplugged and went quiet. He went on scatting the entire solo, and low a behold, right as the pre-chorus was building, his amp rushed in with immense feedback and he struck a huge A chord to come into the chorus pumping the song back into life.
A very "college" like show all in all. The crowd bopped to tunes off their latest record "Putting the Days to Bed" as well as some classics from old records. The band left the stage with Roderick again saying in a "rockstar-like" tone, "Goodnight University of Washington!"
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