{"id":802,"date":"2012-06-08T21:00:26","date_gmt":"2012-06-08T21:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/216.71.127.204\/wordpress\/?p=802"},"modified":"2015-10-13T16:47:51","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T16:47:51","slug":"the-head-and-the-heart-warehouse-live-houston-tx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2012\/06\/08\/the-head-and-the-heart-warehouse-live-houston-tx\/","title":{"rendered":"The Head and The Heart – Warehouse Live – Houston, TX"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Written by Traci Rogers <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jun 08, 2012 at 09:00 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Image\"Recently deemed \u201cThe toast of SxSW,\u201d Seattle-based The Head And The Heart proved more than worthy of such a compliment at Houston\u2019s Warehouse Live Friday night, June 8.\u00a0 They were originally scheduled to play Fitzgerald\u2019s until overwhelming ticket sales required a venue change.<\/p>\n

Playing to a capacity-filled Warehouse Live, Charity Rose Thielen (vocals\/violin), Josiah Johnson (vocals\/guitar), Jonathan Russell (vocals\/guitar), Kenny Henly (keyboard), Chris Zasche (bass), and Tyler Williams (drums) proved their talents to be genuine and not just airbrushed music from a recording studio.<\/p>\n

Since learning of THTH\u2019s genius in an \u201cArtists to Watch\u201d spring issue of Rolling Stone, I have done nothing but watch them closely and share their brilliance with any willing listener.\u00a0 To put it simply, they are a phenomena!\u00a0 After listening to their album several times, I discover something new from these youngsters each time I spin their music or read their lyrics.\u00a0 They seem wise beyond their years.<\/p>\n

I would estimate the six piece band are all members of the twenty-something age bracket which was reflected in the majority of the pearl snap shirt-clad audience. Yet, their songwriting and performing talents suggest they are seasoned to the likes of Neil Young and Ireland\u2019s The Waterboys.<\/p>\n

The precocious ensemble began the night with \u201cCoeur D\u2019Alene,\u201d one of the many examples in their budding discography of how logic and emotion work in concert, just as the band\u2019s name suggests.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCoeur D\u2019 Alene\u201d, in my opinion, is the finest example of how they collaborate with one another when writing lyrics and structuring music and harmonies:<\/p>\n

\u201cWearily waitin\u2019 on the wastin\u2019 of his days . . . A sad son\u2019s smoldering soul . . .\u201d hints at the atrocities dealt Native Americans, as well as the responding emotional reactions like:\u00a0 \u201cOh the things people will do for the ones that they love . . . Break down the corridors . . .\u201d\u00a0 The ugly truth found in U. S. history serves as a metaphor of the heart.<\/p>\n

With only one released album (and one exclusive downloadable i-Tunes session), the lyrics on the eponymous 2011 debut all ring of an Ecclesiastical theme.\u00a0 We can embrace time and deal with the ever-changing emotions that accompany the human condition, or we can kick and scream as time embraces us for the inevitable.\u00a0 The music mirrors the lyrical changes as well.\u00a0 The evolving song structures remind me of the blatant transformations in Queen\u2019s rock operas.<\/p>\n

Although THTH sound nothing like Queen, their songs often sound like two or three songs rolled into one.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In \u201cSounds Like Hallelujah,\u201d for instance, the song takes us on a roller coaster of emotions.\u00a0 After keyboardist Kenny Henly carries us through the darkness of \u201cMama don\u2019t put no gun in my hand, I don\u2019t want to wind up like these men . . .,\u201d drummer Tyler Williams pounds the song into sweet, spiritual, hand-clapping resolve.\u00a0 Even though \u201cI\u2019ll miss you someday,\u201d Everyman\u2019s willingness to free what he loves dearly eventually brings peace and contentment, which \u201cFor the first time sounds like Hallelujah.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exceptionally talented violinist and singer Charity Rose Thielen highlighted the night each time she sang or played a solo part from behind her vine-wrapped microphone stand.\u00a0 In \u201cRivers and Roads,\u201d Thielen\u2019s voice first wobbles in anguish like the late Billie Holiday, yet with a clearer reach for climactic vocals that won explosive applause.\u00a0 Just as well, her organic strings and harmony styles remind me of Caitlin Cary\u2019s understated, yet sophisticated eloquence we hear in the now-defunct Whiskeytown.\u00a0 The Willie Nelson and Emmy Lou Harris–inspired Sweetheart of the band needs no special coddling; she holds her own firmly.<\/p>\n

When or if the individual band members explore new musical ventures, I predict Thielen will enjoy great adoration as a solo artist and as one of the most sought after guest performers like Gillian Welch and Emmy Lou Harris.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Russell\u2019s and Josiah Johnson\u2019s voices melt perfectly into three part harmony with Thielen, creating a collective web of deep and tangled emotions.\u00a0 The three singers sound as if they are siblings who were reared in the Church of Christ a cappella tradition.<\/p>\n

The band did not preface each song, so I never knew the titles of their new material.\u00a0 The sixth song of the set slapped me in the face with its Stax-like 60\u2019s balladry echoes.\u00a0 I was in awe of the tune, even with what seemed like a brief and barely noticeable sound equipment failure, resulting in flattened vocals.\u00a0 Nevertheless, Henly rescued the song with a melancholy bridge, reminiscent of Derek and the Domino\u2019s \u201cLayla,\u201d giving the singers a moment to restore vocals.\u00a0 Such a malfunction could not have been handled better.\u00a0 Thielen concluded the song with an achingly delightful violin\u2019s lament.\u00a0 I still have no idea of the song\u2019s identity, but with great anticipation, I look forward to their next CD release!<\/p>\n

The Head and The Heart ended the night with an even more intimate encore when Johnson returned to the stage with his guitar for a solo \u201cHoney Come Home\u201d.\u00a0 The audience even put away their cell phones for this one as couples held one another and sang along with the lone performer.\u00a0 The remaining band members returned for a few more tunes like the regretful \u201cWinter Song\u201d.\u00a0 Thielen ended the encore with a heartfelt thanks to Houston for its warm reception.<\/p>\n

The more I try to compare The Head and The Heart\u2019s sound with other artists and bands, my findings prove more fruitless.\u00a0 Sure.\u00a0 Amazon and i-Tunes offer myriad suggestions, but very little compares to their writing and performing, especially after seeing them live.\u00a0 Without a doubt, they are the new music savants of the indie-folk rock world.<\/p>\n

According to the fan-based website www.lostinmymind.com<\/span><\/u><\/a>, we can expect a Fall 2012 CD release and their upcoming tour itinerary.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Traci Rogers Jun 08, 2012 at 09:00 PM Recently deemed \u201cThe toast of SxSW,\u201d Seattle-based The Head And The Heart proved more than worthy of such a compliment at Houston\u2019s Warehouse Live Friday night, June 8.\u00a0 They were originally scheduled to play Fitzgerald\u2019s until overwhelming ticket sales required a venue change. Playing to… <\/p>\n

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