Great Lake Swimmers, Kate Maki
Plush, Sunday, April 5
The Canadians invaded the Old Pueblo, and brought with them an
evening of reflective, yearning folk-pop.
Kate Maki’s understated and soothing delivery provided a meditative
ambiance for the decent-sized Sunday-night crowd at Plush. She opened
with ragtime-y “To Please,” from her latest release, On High, a
track gently nudging listeners to toss caution to the breeze and put
themselves first.
A schoolteacher from Sudbury, Ontario, Maki is no stranger to
Tucson. Local legend Howe Gelb, co-producer of On High, appeared
onstage playing the guitar along with Thøger Lund, Gelb’s usual
upright bassist. Occupying a space obscured by shadows, Gelb’s playing
reflected the haphazard experimentation his fans have grown to know and
love. While the Tucson contingent could’ve used a few more hours in
rehearsal to get on the same page with Maki, things were anchored down
by Brent Randall’s solid piano work and outstanding percussion from the
Great Lake Swimmers’ Greg Millson.
The second song in Maki’s set, “White Noise,” a mysterious, loungy,
piano-drenched number, provided the performance’s apex. The song is a
bit more subdued on the album; the live performance brought out a new
dimension in the graveness of the lyrics, “White noise, black holes /
lost your song, lost your sight / you will make it right.”
Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers, led by frontman Tony Dekker, embodied
the beauty and grace of the folk-pop genre. Their latest album, Lost
Channels, was released March 31, and the hype surrounding it is
well-deserved. The harmonies stuck out as a high point in the
recording, so I was dismayed when I saw only one microphone on the
stage. No matter; Dekker’s voice is laced with the vulnerability and
introspection of Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam, and he didn’t need anyone
backing him up. Erik Arnesen’s magnificent banjo-picking added a finely
spun layer of Americana, and once again, drummer Millson showed how
simple-sounding folk songs can contain unexpected subtleties.
Highlights included “Pulling on a Line,” with flowing fits and
starts, as well as “She Comes to Me in Dreams,” which is vaguely
reminiscent of Mark Knopfler’s “Sultans of Swing.” Dekker performed a
couple of solo songs, and the band’s encore was rounded out with “There
Is a Light.” It was a resplendent, uplifting and poignant
performance.
Mel Masonmailbag@tucsonweekly.com
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2009.
