The night began with Andrew J. Reimer’s Country-Punk Extravaganza, which proved to be just that as the five seemingly disparate members combined the two genres into any rockabilly fan’s dream. Mount Moriah followed fronted by Heather McEntire, whose voice resembled Genevieve’s of Company of Thieves, but with a touch of southern twang. The five-piece had a clear folk influence that was highlighted by a violin and electric mandolin, as well as a Byrds-inspired jangly guitar sound.

Starting on a slower note, The Rosebuds took the stage calmly, opening with “Go Ahead” off the group’s 2011 release, Loud Planes Fly Low. The laid-back feel paired well with the slightly unseasonably warm autumn night in Buffalo, and was a smooth transition from Mount Moriah’s melancholy set. Though touted as the duo of Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp, The Rosebuds became a quintet for their live show, adding Daniel Hart on violin as well as a drummer and bassist. Though the two leads were clearly supposed to be the spotlight of the act, it was hard not to notice their accompaniment that proved to be just as passionate about the music as those who wrote it.

As the set progressed, the band proved they would not be pigeonholed in their style, playing the more aggressive “Cape Fear” off 2008’s Life Like and “Get Up Get Out” from 2007’s The Night of the Furies, which had more of a dance feel as the keyboards took the lead. Another highlight was a song about the lost colony of Roanoke that had a surprisingly western feel (in the style of Murder by Death) while the subject matter relied on east coast history.

Songs off the new record were definitely more melancholy than those the group released in the past, but they certainly didn’t drag down the night make the crowd feel removed from the artists. In fact, Howard invited the audience to sing along with Crisp during “Shake Our Tree,” (though we didn’t quite meet expectations as back-up singers), and even unplugged for the last song of the night, “Nice Fox.”

The audience came in closer to the stage as the band stepped down from it and made a sing-a-long circle for “Nice Fox,” a simple number that was equally beautiful in its acoustic nature. It tied up the evening nicely, ending on a slightly mellower note than it started as the Thursday evening grew later.  Howard and Crisp left you wondering what they have in store for their next release after a well-represented showcase of their catalogue and ended with a song to bring you down from that post-concert adrenaline rush.