Monday, July 16, 2007

The Decemberists + Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

So Saturday Amber, Greg and I travelled to the Merriweather Post Pavilion http://www.merriweathermusic.com/ to watch the Decemberists in concert. We discussed we must really like them because this was the third time we've seen them in concert. Not only is it the third time, but it's the third time this summer!
Merriweather is gorgeous! I hadn't been out there to see a concert yet and was very excited to see how beautiful it is. The pavilion is completed surrounded by beech trees and has a great lawn area. While there I learned that the venue was designed so that it would not distruc the natural topography of the site. The acoustics are considered to be best among outdoor centues. Merriweather has played host to such iconic musical groups as Led Zeppelin in 1969 and The Grateful Dead in 1983.
The concert was great! They played songs that they originally intended to record with a full orchestra. It was like watching The Decemberists play out a full movie production. I kept thinking that everything sounded as if it could have been a movie soundtrack. The setting was perfect! Tucked away in the trees :)

If you haven't already heard of the Decemberists, please check them out. http://www.decemberists.com/about.aspx

The Decemberists front man, Colin Meloy is revolutionary in the world of indie music. He studied creative writing while in college and often writes songs based on stories that he's read. The Decemberists current album, The Crane Wife, is a story Meloy found when browsing the children's section of a bookstore in Portland. The Crane Wife is a Japanese folk tale that has been handed down in different variations and translations. Along with the rest of the band-- multi instrumentalist Chris Funk, Keyboardist Jenny Conlee, bassist Nate Query and drummer John Moen--The Decemberists are producing music that embraces experimentation and celebrates classic pop and folk. Their music is sometimes relative to an Irish Jig or a Sea chant. The band is original and their sound is energetic, expansive and all their own.

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