Last Wednesday seems like forever ago to a busy student like me, but I do remember one thing about Club 156’s show on March 30th: it was quite astonishing.
Not knowing anything about any of the acts, I was pleasantly surprised with the lineup. Denver’s Anders Hester started the night with his sweet acoustic folk. Dual guitarists delivered a solid energy with light-hearted lyrics and seemed to be a pretty big hit with the audience. The acoustics in the Club really welcomed the sound and the vocals sounded incredibly natural.
That’s nothing compared to Sour Boy, Bitter Girl. As much as Boulder and Denver get noticed for their music scene and exploding talent, Fort Collins has their own brand of folk that is blowing up in their own way (see post from Danielle Ate the Sandwich). SBBG is another folk act, but more on the indie rock side. They spiced things up with somewhat quirky lyrics that reminded me of a hobo’s musings. The quintet’s debut album, Songs About the Landscape or Songs About the Wolf Army was voted “Best Album of 2010” at the Fort Collins Music Association’s Peer Awards.
The White Buffalo takes the stage in Club 156 on 3/30 (photo by C. Redfield)
Following those two beautiful local acts was Los Angeles’s The White Buffalo. With 3 albums spanning the past 6 years, real name is building a solid fan base. A small, but passionate crowd showed up to see the tall and grizzly Jake Smith. Although he was the smallest act of the night (one guy, one guitar), he seemed to have enough soul for everyone in the venue. His voice was comforting, like smooth butter next to sometimes brash guitar. The singer songwriter feel encapsulated every inch of the club, with poignant lyrics, sweet melodies, and a good balance between slow and uptempo ballads, including one about the ever-popular John Jameson.
