In Review - Among Wolves & Others @ Lo-Fi 1/12/07

The Lo-Fi Social Club rests precariously between North Avenue and the Charles Theater. Being comprised of two row homes, the Lo-Fi brings a comfy and relaxed atmosphere with artwork and couches to peak your interest in between drinking and listening to music. It also hosted a wondrous show last night where indie pop rock blended seamlessly with blues, folk, and country music. The Red Vines led off the night with music that is comparable to indie legends Wilco. Featuring the drummer from Among Wolves, The Red Vines laid out a great set (with a trombone even) of prepossessing alt/country/folk/pop gems. After that, the audience was surprised to find an additional act that wasn't even on the bill. Justin Collins rolled in from Nashville with his guitar and a purpose - to astound listeners with his powerful 50s rock and roll voice. Seriously...he was marvelous. Abby Mott followed with a sound that I was unprepared for and, frankly, taken aback for a few moments. Mott has a tremendous voice that some might compare to others (Neko Case maybe), but shouldn't. Her songs were...how do I say it...the bee's knees...no no...treasures...yes that'll do. Pop treasures with a country song in there for good measure. Following Abby Mott, The Courtesy Line played. Short their lead guitarist due to a death in the family, TCL strung out a series of quality folk pop tunes. The real bonus came today when I popped their recently recorded demo into the old player. The tracks were superbly written and almost had the old Death Cab For Cutie sound going. Closing the night was Among Wolves. The crowd had thinned much by this time of the night (WHY?!!!) which is a shame, because AW put on the best performance of the night. Their music is fresh and unheard of in my mind. Who can blend experimental indie pop rock with synthesizers seamlessly with straight up country rock? Among Wolves. They threw it down, even throwing a Johnny Cash cover into the mix when they did the band member switch-a-roo (bass player played drums-piano player played bass- drummer played lead guitar and sang). If you get a chance, please go check them out...they put on a show that is worth every cent.

mp3: Among Wolves - Baltimore --> website --> buy
mp3: The Courtesy Line - The Lake --> website
mp3: Abby Mott - Wild Desire --> website --> buy
mp3: Justin Collins - Sweet Misery --> website --> buy
mp3: The Red Vines - Once --> website --> buy

Among WolvesThe Red Vines
Abby Mott
Justin Collins
The Courtesy Line