Phosphorescent
I first came across Phosphorescent a few years ago when I went to see some local Chicago band at Schubas. I had no expectations for the headliners. That is always the best time to be floored by a musical performance. What happened was these bedraggled skinny guys came out one by one and started beating out some horrible percussion in some weird non-tempo. I thought great some noise stuff, just what I didn't want to hear. Then something happened, the beats started to make sense and the tapping on the beer bottle was actually starting to work...then some horns started blaring and this guitar started sweeping in. It resulted in one of my fondest shows to date. Near the end of the set they passed out small hand percussion instruments to the audience. We were all best friends, drinking beer and loving the company. Matthew Houck, centers the band with his easy living singing like "we can curl in the waters, naked swirling like otters, you know how they are." Yeah, I think we do know how they are. I was telling Amy about them and dragged her out to see them play last year. She was fairly nonplussed. She just wanted to knit. But then it happened all over again; Phosphorescent laid down some big time sonic bliss, loudly, perfectly. Amy knitted in the dark in a rapturous lifted state. A few days later my band laid down a cover of Wolves being excited by live music again, we played in our underwear. And now Phosphorescent has put together To Willie, a collection of 11 non-hits by, yeah, that Willie. It is sweet. But don't let their lulling sleepy tempos fool you, their shows are huge and uncapturable.
So, here we go again off to see them again at the Empty Bottle this Friday. You should be there too.
