I was watching ESPN the other day (#sports #ilikesports #loveofthegame) and the sportscasters were talking about the ‘comfortability’ of certain athletes. Their point was that some players just look more at ease on the court/field/rink than others and it adds to the grace and competitiveness of the match as well as the overall enjoyment of the spectators. This concept was front and center in my mind at Tuesday night’s Elephant Revival show. Granted, the Hamilton’s awesome downstairs stage makes it easy to feel at home, but Elephant Revival really took it to another level.
For the uninitiated, Elephant Revival plays an awesome mix of transcendental folk, bluegrass, and country that translates recorded – but really comes to life… well….. live. The quintet lit up the Hamilton’s stage, rocking out in long skirts, wrist bands, jaunty hats, and unbrushed hair with the help of instruments including a funky looking truncated-bass-like-instrument, a fiddle, a ukelele… and a washboard. Oh yeah. What up women with washboards. What up women with washboards who also wow with whistling. The lead singer of Elephant Revival was just that kind of woman, banging on a washboard and busting out whistling that would have impressed Bob Dylan. The crowd (extremely packed, and including individuals with feathers in their hair, cowboy boots, and hard core fairy tattoos) ate up the show, especially enjoying the group’s rendition of The Pasture.
Great band, great music, great comfortability. Highly recommend making it out if/when this group is in your town.