Quantcast
Channel: DigBoston » Porches
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 3

REVIEW: MUTUAL BENEFIT @ GREAT SCOTT

0
0
Screen Shot 2014-01-17 at 3.17.26 PM

‎In case you’ve been pinned under a giant boulder or lost your hearing, you must be aware of how Boston’s music scene is kind of the shit. But really, we’re totally owning it. Now that the good ol’ Bean is getting the attention off of crummy cops stopping house shows and onto the music inside of them, things are taking off.

Monday night saw Mutual Benefit, Frankie Cosmos, and Krill all sharing the same bill, bands whose devoted fans will make sure to head out and see them, even if they already have ten times before. For Mutual Benefit, however, this show was special. For the first time in the band’s history, they sold out a headlining show – and hours before they even hit the stage, too.

The ever-casual, always-fun Krill got everyone’s attention from song one, working through usuals like “Purity of Heart” and “Never a Joke”. As singer/guitarist Jonah Furman pointed out, it wouldn’t be a Krill show if they didn’t mess up; cue bassist Aaron Ratoff getting so into new material that his plug gets pulled, giving the band a rather opportune moment to showcase their ability to work instrumental segue-ways straight into the middle of the song.

“Everyone calm down,” said singer and frontwoman Greta Kline. “We just want to be your prom dates for a second.” In comes the melodic, sentimental indie rock. At half the volume but double the charm, Porches’ singer Kline got straight to business showing what her band Frankie Cosmos is all about. Yeah, she still gets her hands X’d at her own shows, but the 19-year-old’s songwriting abilities sound like an adult’s. She rocks the Millie Kentner look and sings like she’s got no time to lose.

Screen Shot 2014-01-17 at 3.17.46 PM

After dragging all their instruments onstage, Mutual Benefit were ready to begin their orchestrated folk rock for the eager crowd stuffed around the stage. Front and center stood a peppy Jordan Lee, armed with a guitar, keyboard, and a voice fans were ready to hear.

A slow but steady swelling began filling the room. Like an optimistic, petit Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mutual Benefit filled the room with various tuning sounds that shifted into “Strong River” and “Golden Wake”. If Boston was their playground, Mutual Benefit sat everyone down for spiked tea.

“It’s pretty warm in here. Half of you should leave,” joked Lee. He giggled to himself and then turned back to the microphone, adding, “You should buy something on the way out.”

I supposed the joke may have gone sour in other areas, but everyone in the venue was already friends. Boston’s tight-knit community was there to support their friend or there to show support with their friends. Strangers reunited on either side of me. The attitude was casual, but with all the best intentions.

So as Mutual Benefit played a rather intense and generous version of “Advanced Falconry,” people smiled warmly. It’s not fair to say that these were smiles of pride or nostalgia, but it felt like a best friend was growing up. Then again, one look at their doodle-covered setlists courtesy of a close friend—including a thumbs up saying “Good job, everybody!” at the bottom—suggested that same excited pride.

These Boston artists are in the process of leaping off the brink, diving into the larger underground music community, with Mutual Benefit already surfacing the water and taking a peak into the big leagues. Getting to be at Monday night’s show to see the first evening of that new path was something the audience had trouble swallowing. When a place like Great Scott is filled with Boston’s usual crew, it’s odd to realize some of them are ready to embark for good.

“I quit my last part-time job maybe a month ago,” Jordan Lee told us in an earlier interview. “For the first time in my life, music is my job.” So it is, and we’re predicting it will remain so for a very long time.



Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 3

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images