Other Lives lit up the stage at Lincoln Hall Saturday night both literally and figuratively. The band had the stage decked out with oversized light bulbs that flashed rhythmically throughout the set. Added to the fog machine that looked to be working overtime at some points in the set, it created a really splendid streetlight in the fog effect that added ambiance to the already stellar music.
While the light bulbs were impressive (especially because the first thing the band did upon taking the stage was make the lights flash in time to a little trumpet intro) what floored me were the amount of instruments on the stage: trumpet, guitar, kettledrum, drum set, keyboard, violin, cello, bells, tambourine, glockenspiel, and to top it all off, a hand pump organ.
Not much for chatting, the band got right down to the music, with front man Jesse Tabish leading the way through tracks from their new album Tamer Animals, as well as their 2009 self titled debut album. The group members moved seamlessly between instruments – the guitarist/glockenspiel/trumpet/violin player being the most impressive, often playing two instruments at once and at one point taking his bow to his guitar and the glockenspiel. Didn’t even know that was possible.
The abundance of instruments filled out the music to create a rich, warm feeling that paired well with the mournful and lonely sound of Tabish’s voice. In the intimate venue of Lincoln Hall the sound reached every corner and filled the space beautifully. I came away from the night with two things: a clear mental image of a mysterious solo figure walking through the lonely and foggy streets of some unnamed city backed by this music and a desire for more from this band.