Future Islands Join the Baltimore Invasion
By Alex Stevens on May 4, 2009 in mp3blog
I don't know how much of this post should focus on the Future Islands' music or just the incredible stage presence of the vocalist Sam Herring, one of the most hardcore musicians I've seen in a long time. Or maybe just how much he sweats. But seeing him and his band play at the Triple Rock last Saturday was the best part of the long weekend.
Right now, the Future Islands are cooped up in an old, Tie-Dyed school bus with Dan Deacon, trying to get any sleep they can before they tear apart the next venue with their synth-poppy dance grooves and endearingly innocent lyrics. First of all, opening for an act like Deacon (and his 14-piece orchestra!) is intimidating enough. Doing it on two hours of sleep and a couple of drinks from the bar (and doing it with style) is a skill to be marveled at.
Sam Herring is not the best singer in the world. And, now that I mention it, their music isn't completely life-changing either (despite that it's all I've been listening to the past 24 hours). But if I could do anything with the amount of passion that Herring puts into music, I'd be happy enough at that. Herring's performance was unforgettable. Everything from his crazy facial expressions to him jumping all over the place made the experience that much more memorable. With a guy like Sam Herring, a band has to be pretty terrible for the audience not to respond. Halfway through the song "Beach Foam", Herring started to break down crying. It's incredible to think that he can still pour so much of himself into a performance after four weeks of getting apparently "two hours of sleep max per night" (as Deacon put it later) each time his band takes the stage.
Whenever he shook his body in my general direction (with me standing right below him), I was covered in a shower of sweat. I guess that's the price one has to pay to witness that much raw emotion and dedication to such an act. Musicians with Herring's attitude are the reason that I go to shows at all. Thanks, Sam.
Old Friend
Flicker and Flutter
Beach Foam
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