11/26/2008 Will Markwardt and Jonathan Waldo of The Absent Ar

HowWasTheShow photographer Jenn Barnett took this photo of The Absent Arch frontman Will Markwardt and viola player Jonathan Waldo at the band’s CD Release show at that Triple Rock on Friday night in Minneapolis. (See Jenn's full photo set from this show here.)

 

 

The show had been one of the most talked about shows of the weekend amongst the music folks I follow on Twitter and in the HowWasTheShow forums. Every time I considered plans that did not include this show I was immediately pounced on that the Triple Rock was where I was supposed to be.  (I’m lucky to have friends that look out for me like this.)

 

The few tracks I listened to on The Absent Arch’s MySpace had not done them justice, and I didn’t get a chance to preview the actual CD until after the show. But even before I heard it, at least one friend had been raving that their debut album Keep Calm and Carry On might well be one of the best Twin Cities local releases of the year. Another good sign had been that Stacy Schwartz, proprietor of Cake in 15 and booker for the Stone Arch Festival has also been one of the bands biggest supporters. Stacy scheduled them to play this past summer at the Stone Arch Festival of the Arts (where I also missed them), which served to introduce them to many new fans.

 

The band was about halfway through their set by the time we arrived at the Triple Rock, but it didn’t take much listening to realize they lived up to their hype. After seeing them live for the first time, even their MySpace songs (the demos at least) took on a new life for me. Check out “We Are Fisherman” or “Forest”. Both songs give you an idea of the band’s quality songwriting and ability to create an ear-catching musical vibe. One possibly oddball comparison I must make, is that Will Markwardt’s vocal delivery reminds me of a less nasal Craig Finn’s from The Hold Steady.  Whether you agree with that comparison or not, I hope you’ll still note both unassuming skill and tremendous passion as a performer.

 

Absent Arch are clearly a band to watch on the local scene for 2009.

Photo by: Jenn Barnett
Text by: David de Young

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