Photos by Ty Hyten
The Scene: A line of flannel clad college-aged kids stretched down the sidewalk in front of the Bluebird last Sunday night for Indie-Folk artist Noah Gundersen. The line didn’t end up being indicative of a sold-out show though, and there was room to traverse the venue without spilling your drink. The young audience was respectful and some of the most affecting moments of the night were supported by the dead silence in the room as Noah played.
Opener: Caroline Rose. Dressed in a Catholic school girl outfit, opener Caroline Rose ripped through a genre shifting set accompanied only by her guitar and a full drumkit. Her high points were her folkier songs as she shifted identities, channeling Lilith Fair, Jack White, and even Foo Fighters. The room was full and the audience was receptive, including former tourmate Nathaniel Rateliff. Rose ended on a high note with the country-inflected “I Will Not Be Afraid.”
Noah Gundersen: “Crawl into my skin, I’ll crawl into yours” sang Seattle singer-songwriter Noah Gundersen as he opened his set with “Isaiah” cloaked in darkness on the dimly lit stage. The stillness in the room was remarkable. As the song continued, sister Abby Gundersen added embellishment to the song with subtle violin swells and delicate backing vocals.
While Gundersen’s music is rich in Christian reference, it is not worship music. It deals with the darker side of faith, belief and struggle. That being said, some of the songs from 2014’s Ledges and parts of Sunday night’s show provided brief glimpses of worship music structure and feel. While that may sound like a jab in the music world, it isn’t. Gundersen was able to tap into the elements that make for great Pop songs without treading into the dreaded world of Christian Rock cheese. He pulled this off through well placed acapella sections, subtle verses, and build ups to massive choruses that raised the hair on my arms.
Hearing Gundersen’s music live had an effect on me. As he sang sad songs, I felt sad. As sung of his demons, I thought about mine. When he harmonized with Abby, the beauty of the music touched me. The ability of music to invoke emotion is one of the best things about it and Gundersen was able to tap into that expertly.
The setlist was well rounded with new and old and the high-water mark came towards the end with “Cigarettes.” The raw vocals, straightforward analogy, and the anticipation that accompanied the gradual build up were spot on. This was only topped by the gorgeous “Poor Man’s Son,” the sole encore song. Bare-bones and simple, the traditional feeling song was extremely powerful. The crowd stood in awe as the song and the night culminated with Noah and Abby belting in harmony.
Energy: A
Musicianship: A
Sound: A+
Stage Presence: A-
Lights: D+
Overall: A-
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