Around 8 p.m., Bridget Law came out onto the stage, barefoot and glowing, to announce that her long-time friend Lindsey McGuire would be reading a few poems to kick off the night. McGuire read from three, the first titled, "I Fucking Love You," the second "Economy," and the third, pulling memories from a shared dream, "Bird Chest." Her lyrics spanned time, comparing her lover to an ancient sylvan jungle, the strength in Michelangelo's precision when he made the statue of David, and recalling how our lives are so small in lieu of the giantess, Mother Nature. She read with ease and precision directly from memory, emphasizing the lines we needed to hear, such as "spirituality was freed from the confines of religion," and "By the time I die, existence will have spent 36,750 pounds of rainfall, sunshade, soil, plant, and creature to keep me alive, so I think it's fair to say I indeed am in debt." McGuire's words urged the listener to think about balance, in love and in nature.
Bonnie Payne made a comment during the show about how uncanny their new album's title, These Changing Skies, certainly reflected the unexpected flooding that is happening over in Boulder, Colorado and the surrounding area. They came back one day to find their homes collapsed and destroyed, thousands of dollars of studio equipment lost. Elephant Revival's lyrics and songs seem to be in tune with the cycles of the seasons, slow and entrancing, or staccato and riveting. The first half of the evening, they pulled mostly from their new repertoire, with songs such as "Birds & Stars," "Remembering a Beginning," and "The Pasture." Compared to their studio recordings, I insist that their live pitches are equally as perfect, if not more enchanting. Each song built off the other, weaving a spell of inspiration.
Throughout the evening I noticed Sage Cook, Daniel Rodriguez, and Dango Rose switch on and off between double bass, electric banjo, and guitar. The shift in instruments seemed to show the bones of their composition process and varied the performance for me. Since Bridget's family from the area, was in town, the band made a few comments that in their honor they would play more "Irish" tunes. One is "Currach," sung at an andante pace, with haunting moans from Bridget's masterful fiddle and Bonnie's pensive washboard heralding a rising storm. Elephant Revival's intriguing range of harmonies and styles captured my steadfast attention the entire evening. Peace radiates from their aura. For their encore, in honor of the harvest moon, they sung "Ring Around The Moon." This featured Bonnie on the musical saw, an instrument that croons high-pitched wails with the smallest vibrations from her bow.
As they finished their performance, I noticed a few stickers on various instrument cases like "Fractivist" and "Ban Fracking Now." For sure they are conscious about what is happening on the Earth, especially concerning a controversial issue such as hydraulic fracturing. Coming from a musical act that is gaining in popularity as the moons wane and wax, I consider it reassuring and brave.
Sage Cook was kind enough to offer me the setlist:
To & From
Nostalgia
Birds and Stars
Will Carry On
Don’t Drift too Far
The Rakers
Remembering a Beginning
Stolen
Spinning
The Pasture
Jet Lag Blues
Sweet Dreams
Down to the Sea
Go On
Tam Lin
Rogue River
Grace of a Woman
Over Over And
Cosmic Pulse
Ancient Sea
Currach
The Garden
Encore:
Ring Around The Moon
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