Band: The Low Lows
Venue: Dan's Silverleaf
Time: 11:05 p.m.
Austin's The Low Lows was a band I knew very little about. And few in the audience at Dan's Silverleaf could enlighten me as to what to expect as the band made its way on stage.
It was a rather large ensemble: two keyboardist, two (and occasionally three) horn players, plus the standard bass, drum and guitar rigmarole. The band kind of looked like a disheveled version of Calexico and once the musicians kicked things into gear, that comparison was not too far off target.
Singer P.L. Noon's distinctive nasal croon (think Willie Nelson on helium) and the band's collective noise kept the set interesting throughout its duration. Mixing elements of Sonic Youth, Uncle Tupelo and the aforementioned Calexico, The Low Lows created a dense and intriguing version of alt-country that drew in the crowd as if free beer was the order of the day.
Normally, I am not the type to pick up a band's CDs at shows, but I made the exception in this case. The Low Lows' music was simply that good. Songs like "Dear Flies Love Spider" and "Idle Wild" spilled forth like a truth I had needed to hear, like the sweet taste of Coke on the morning of a hangover.
