The Low Anthem @ Vintage Vinyl, St. Louis

Pictures and words by Duane Clawson
On this warm Sunday in St. Louis, Vintage Vinyl was turned in to a cathedral as the Low Anthem was holding church with their musical talents and harmonies.  This in-store performance was a warm up for their impending show later that evening, opening for Mumford & Sons at the Pageant.  The Low Anthem played a large amount of material from their latest effort, Smart Flesh.  The band showed its versatility as its members continuously changed their instruments throughout the set and played everything from a handsaw and bow, French horn, pump organ, and hammer dulcimer during their fifty-minute set.  But despite all of the band's instrumentation, it was the band’s harmonies that were the highlight of the afternoon.  During the song “Ghost Woman Blues”, the band's members gathered around a single microphone and produced harmonies worthy of a Sunday afternoon.  The band played what I would describe as power folk during “Boeing 737” and “Hey, All you Hippies”, displaying their ability to play with gusto when required.   


As a photographer, I usually find myself moving around to get my best shot angle but during this performance I felt as if I were a church service as I felt that if I moved too much I would disrupt the message being delivered.  This led me to ignoring my picture taking, wondering if the sound of my shutter would break the band's delicate balance. After their set,  the band was generous enough to sign autographs and chat with their attendees.  I wanted to thank the good people at Schlafly Brewing Co. who provided the free beer that only enhanced everyone's enjoyment of the day.  You can find the Low Anthem's catalog on iTunes but the band encourages everyone to support your local record store, such as Vintage Vinyl.  Make sure to catch them this August as they will be performing at the second annual LouFest in Forest Park.  You can bet that I'll be there in the first row for this one.  Photos of the performance are below:



Contributed by Duane Clawson
The Low Anthem @ Vintage Vinyl, St. Louis The Low Anthem @ Vintage Vinyl, St. Louis Reviewed by Scott Rowe, Editor on June 08, 2011 Rating: 5
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