The Rockin’ Folk
Music is a therapy. It is something that is a great place to forget your stress. For me, it is how I started this frequenting of shows. The venues are a place of letting the mind escape on the chords of the instruments, the rhythm of the drums, and words of the lyrics. Catching the three bands of this night, Dirty Sunset, Foresteater, and Valley Queen, were another example of that amazing therapy.
The night opened up a little more folky with Dirty Sunset. These guys play a bluegrass and folk sound, incorporating keys and a fiddle. However, some songs get closer to that of a good blues song. There is a good energy and fun personality to their live performance. Dirty Sunset has since put out a great new album to go check out.
Tonight was the first night seeing Foresteater with a new addition to their lineup. Now joined by Lindsey Vogt on acoustic guitar, their on stage performance was as excellent as any time before. I still get distracted by Mikey’s turning of his ankle when he leans into the microphone. I always think that looks uncomfortable, but it adds to the uniqueness of his performance on stage. I look forward to the next time I get to see Foresteater perform again.
Our headliners were out of L.A., called Valley Queen. I had never seen them before. They seem to channel influences from multiple genres, maybe a little Stevie Nicks if she sang a folk blended with the rock. On that note, Natalie impressed on vocals. There is a good beat and sound to the songs for grooving to, which in turn made the set pass by faster than I anticipated. Valley Queen is a good band to catch next time they swing through Phoenix.
