My goal is to see one show per week. Yes, I might be that annoying friend that just has to tell you about the thing you missed, but I’m also catching every great show in the city of Chicago–with plenty more ahead of me. Welcome to the Chicago Concert Dispatch.
At the time of this show, it is 2 weeks into the year and I have seen 5 shows.
Kelsey Wild started her show solo, playing her guitar and performing vocal gymnastics. Her voice did somersaults from high to low and back again as she sang “Fool.” It was just on the indie rock side of yodeling. The addition of the 🌽🐶 (aka corndog) as her backing band added depth to the rest of her performance. Kelsey continued to mold her voice to the intention of the song. On “In my Dreams,” the song started with her whispering to us; I felt like she was sharing secrets in the dark. In “Let the Light In,” her full resonant, deep, soulful power, at the chorus, suddenly soars. It was brief and uplifting.
Unexpectedly, they closed with a cover of “Baby It’s You” by Burt Bacarach. The drummer, Raul Cotaquispe, moved over to guitar and had some great licks. It was a charming cover that worked for this group perfectly.
Tobacco City was conceived as a country vocal duo. If you love male/female harmonies and a bit of twang, this is a great group to two-step with your darlin’ to. Alas, we didn’t get any people swinging around the Hideout on Wednesday, but we had a solid crowd swaying to the dulcet tones Tobacco City. While some of their songs are in line with classic country themes–“being alone ain’t so bad” and “I guess its not my heart to break”–they have a streak of quirky imagery that cannot help but catch your attention, for instance “I love you like a dog loves a dead bird” and as Chris introduced one song, “This is a song about eating, sleeping, and shitting.”
This was their second show with a rhythm section, and they were wise to choose a bass/drum duo (Eliza/Josh) that knows each other well and were tight and relaxed. They gave us that perfect, jaunty sway that is so essential to country music and driving support to Chris and Lexi’s vocals, which were perfectly rough and sweet.
Kelsey Wild Facebook | Bandcamp
Tobacco City Bandcamp | Instagram
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