By: David de Young
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| Storyhill in the MMAA cafeteria - Photo by Stacy Schwartz |
Many of you are probably familiar with Hermanson from The Hopefuls and Alva Star, but Storyhill has its own (and I must say rabid) fan base that pre-dates my knowledge of either of those Minnesota groups. It was through my love of Hermanson’s songwriting that I eventually found Storyhill. (Stacy Schwartz has a bit of history on how the group - once known as Chris and Johnny - formed in Bozeman, Montana many moons ago, and how after changes upon changes they somehow ended up more or less the same on the patio of the Minnesota Museum of Modern Art in St. Paul last Thursday.)
I am embarrassed to say that I myself had never been to the MMAA before. HowWasTheShow has, however, covered past Patio Nights events, and from the photos they had always looked quite fun. Tonight’s event featured a rare acoustic opening set by Mighty Fairly. Mighty Fairly’s timing was such that it started to mist during the last few songs of their set and during what would have been an intermission anyway, the “Patio Night” became “Cafeteria Night” as we all trundled inside with our chairs to hear the headliner.
HowWasTheShow has previously reviewed Storyhill here and here, the latter review being a continuation of the first after Storyhill’s Valentine’s Day, 2007 show at the Varsity Theater was shutdown by the Fire Marshall due to capacity issues. (Now, that’s the kind of press most bands only dream of!)
I was a little late coming to Storyhill’s self-titled 2007 release on Red House Records. It was produced by Dan Wilson (Semisonic, Trip Shakespeare) and the harmonies and songwriting on the album give any Gary Louris/Mark Olson duet a run for its money. (Storyhill fans will agree I am not exaggerating when I say that.)
I must also say that be it live or on disc, there’s a magic to the vocal combination of Johnny and Chris that’s much larger than the sum of its parts. Frequently, with just two voices Hermanson and Cunningham somehow manage the overtones it took five or so Eagles to get on a song like “Seven Bridges Road.” In their music are echoes of folk heroes such as John Denver. (Their “Sacramento” is as soaring as Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High.”) Simon and Garfunkel references have also been made. It’s all A-game, World Class musicians that come to mind when trying to find comparisons to describe Storyhill’s sound.
Opening up with “Absoroka,” Hermanson led the way vocally with Cunningham soon joining in. And I have to say this was one of the more magical shows I’ve seen in an museum cafeteria. You could tell the level of familiarity with the songs was extremely high amongst the audience as applause would erupt after just the first few seconds of the better known numbers. It was almost a little odd to be seeing and hearing such a high quality show in the informal confines of cafeteria where the musicians were literally standing at floor level with the rest of us. (The stage itself was never moved inside from the patio.)
Storyhill’s set tonight was full of both old songs and new (see actual set list at the end of this review). Being a newcomer I am limiting myself to making only general observations, but it was clear to me that the communication between the two musicians has crossed well beyond that which is transferred by the five senses alone.
After a standing ovation (I’m almost surprised the audience had managed to stay seated through the set) the band played about a half dozen song encore, including “If I Could,” which a good friend of the group told me has been put on so many wedding compilation CDs the band would have made a mint from those royalties alone if they could only track them.
Another example of the love the fans have for Storyhill, after greeting them myself after the show, I turned to see about a dozen people in a line behind me to do the same. One show was all it took for me to understand the Storyhill phenomenon and why the group has such a strong national and local fan fanbase.
Storyhill set list:
Absaroka
Blazin
Mary
Sacramento
Angel
Weave Your Way
What Was Wrong
Well of Sorrow
Full Circle
Better Angels
Happy Man
White Roses
Give Up the Ghost
Paradise
Joe Snow
Hard Wind
Great Divide
Spaces
Somewhere
Loose
Good Rain
Location Info:
Minnesota Museum of American Art
Artist Info: Mighty Fairly, Storyhill
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