Wye Oak 7.15 & 16, 2011

Southern New England was lucky enough to host two live performances by Wye Oak last weekend: one at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT on Friday, July 15th, and one the following night at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA. It’s not the first time this Baltimore duo, consisting of Jenn Wasner (guitar and vocals) and Andy Stack (drums, keyboard and vocals), has graced us with their presence. Both Manic Productions, who booked the Hartford gig, and the IHEG, responsible for the Iron Horse show, have welcomed Wye Oak before.

I first caught this duo when they played at Cafe Nine in 2009. At that time, they were playing songs from 2008’s If Children as well as a few from their upcoming release, The Knot, which dropped in July 2009. They returned again in 2010, both at the Daniel Street Club in Milford, CT and the Iron Horse.

In March 2011, Wye Oak presented us with Civilian, a beautifully crafted record whose sound wraps us in its melancholy, nostalgic embrace. Songs like “The Altar”, “Holy Holy”, and “Civilian” are why we love Wye Oak. The record closes with “Doubt,” a solo piece by Wasner, and she ended both shows with this song last weekend.

Though not obvious during last weekend’s performances, Wasner admitted to the audience that she’s been struggling with medical issues which affect her voice. Needing to rest her vocal chords for Sunday night’s live performance on the Jimmy Fallon Show (they played "Holy Holy"), she was not able to greet fans after last weekend’s shows. Stack graciously took over this duty, chatting with the audience after both performances. (Thank you, Andy and Jenn, for singing my vinyl!)

Wye Oak has been touring extensively, and will continue to do so for the rest of the year. They opened for the Decemberists this past winter, and will play with bands such as The National, Okkervil River, and Explosions in the Sky this fall. Then, they're off to Europe in November. It seems that the Oaks’ popularity will only continue to grow.

Marissa Nadler, a local folk singer, opened for Wye Oak at the Wadsworth. Her cool, crystal clear voice hums like a lullaby. She just released a brand new record, Box of Cedar, in June. Check out her bandcamp page.

Wielding an autoharp, Apollo Sunshine’s Sam Cohen took the stage Saturday with his solo side project, the Yellowbirds. Performing as a duo this night, the Yellowbirds are an act to follow. Reminiscent of 60’s folk-rock, the they released The Color this past February. They’ve already been plugged by Pitchfork and Daytrotter and have a couple of sold out shows with Josh Ritter this week.