By: David Rachac
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| Sherwood photo courtesy of their publicist |
For as much-maligned as Myth is as a concert venue (its worst crime seems to be that it had the audacity to be built somewhere other than Minneapolis), I thought it was pretty good – lots of different levels to see over people, good sightlines, a nice sound system and pleasant enough staff members. Other than standing in line for 20 minutes to get in (the consequence of several hundred The Academy Is fans getting there before me), my experience at Myth was just fine, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go to another show there.
I have to tip my cap to Sherwood for the energy they brought, because it has to suck being the first band playing in a four-band lineup. They started playing within 30 minutes of the doors opening; so many people were still arriving when they began. Although the crowd was generally receptive, it has to be disheartening looking at the first few rows, knowing it’s predominantly the hardcore fans of the headliner who are staking their claim in the pit and they are decidedly NOT. THERE. TO. SEE. YOU. And to accommodate the drums and amps of all the other bands, Sherwood’s equipment was pushed so far to the front of the stage that one false step forward would have sent someone hurtling to the floor below. But if any of this bothered them, they certainly didn’t let it show, and they put on an enjoyable 30-minute set to start the evening festivities.
They started out with “Never Ready to Leave,” with bassist Nate Henry and guitarist Dan Koch trading lead vocal lines and second guitarist David Provenzano filling in with a ringing solo. With keyboardist Mike Leibovich’s rig set up right up in front, I never could see drummer Joe Greenetz, but the tight spacing didn’t seem to dampen their enthusiasm, which was highlighted by Leibovich’s frenzied hand-claps and acrobatic leaps while playing the keys. Kicking into “Give Up,” it became evident that the harmonies on the CD were not just a result of studio magic – live, these guys go three-deep with ease, and they filled the room with their joyous sound. Musically, they sounded a little more aggressive than on their CD, with the keyboards taking a less prominent position, although that might have had more to do with where I was standing than anything.
Before starting “The Best in Me,” Koch announced the band name for the benefit of the people who were still arriving (as he would do twice more during the show), a necessary sacrifice for being the first band up. But there did seem to be some fans familiar with them – they toured with Reliant K earlier in the year and had done a couple of local college shows, so there were people in the audience who had seen them before. And something like 4.4 million views on their MySpace page probably doesn’t hurt either – not surprisingly, the songs that people had most reaction to were the ones Sherwood put in their MySpace music player.
Sherwood briskly worked through seven songs, all but one (“Learn To Sing” off of their Sing, But Keep Going CD) from A Different Light. Before saying goodnight, they finished with “Song in My Head” and the anthemic “For the Longest Time,” which got a nice crowd reaction. It is hard to gauge how good a band sounds with such a short set and with so many barriers to contend with, but I heard enough of Sherwood to know that I’ll see them again the next time they are in town.
Location Info:
Myth Nightclub
Artist Info: Sherwood
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