S. Carey in Concert

This past Tuesday I returned to UMD to see Sean Carey play the Kirby Ballroom. Usually Late Night Kirby and The Kirby Program Board do a pretty shitty job of bringing good music to the University, but this year they've somewhat stepped up their game having Doomtree played last semester and Atmosphere coming at the end of February. I probably would have missed out on this concert, having no idea who S. Carey was, but luckily a small music blitz of articles about him have appeared on NPR, Spin, and Pitchfork's websites. Whenever a relatively well know artist visits the Twin Ports area I usually feel a need to attend (thinking strong turn out numbers could bring more). The main draw for S. Carey, undoubtedly the reason many people initial checked out his music, is that he's the touring drummer for Bon Iver.

Bon Iver burst onto the scene in 2008 with For Emma, Forever Ago. Critics loved it, and Bon Iver landed on many year end best of lists. I personally saw Bon Iver at UMD in 2008 shortly after he released For Emma, I wonder if Sean Carey was there; probably. Although Sean does not appear on the Bon Iver record, or the later EP, he did get a special thanks form Justin Vernon in the booklet stating "Sean Carney for honoring me so much it hurt.....".

Sarah Kruger opened the show and did a great job. She has a powerful and passionate voice, though I'll admit none of her songs really stayed with me. It was really cool seeing Sean Carey in the crowd listening to her first couple tracks, few in the audience seemed to recognize him.

As for Sean his band put on a wonderful performance. His band was tight and they really sounded superb. The overall musical sound was very similar in genre to Bon Iver, but Sean's voice didn't compare to Justin Vernon's and Sean's songs contained a lot more lyrics, instead of the powering minimalist approach Bon Iver's CD seems to have. One thing that I didn't expect from Sean and his band is the fever they built up after about the third song, rising his band to a roaring moment and then cutting loose on the drums. It was really an enjoyable sight to see.

While this review isn't too detailed on the actual events of the night, I didn't know Sean's songs or discography very well, I will say that he put on a solid performance and proved that he is more than just a touring drummer looking to capitalize off the Bon Iver name; Sean his great in his own right.