In a landscape tailor-made for biophilic contemplation and homespun song, I’m With Her and Iron and Wine collaborated for an evening of storytelling and alchemic harmonizing. The final show on their co-headlining Robin’s Egg Tour at the Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards in Lafayette, NY was an ebullient and poignant evening of music.
No flash and dash, just a collaboration of talented songsmiths sharing their wares with an attentive and eager venue of music lovers.
After a moving set by singer songwriter Ken Pomeroy that had the crowd listening with wrapped anticipation, the beautifully rendered musical trident of I’m With Her began their set with the spectral rain of mandolin and acoustic guitar. The band, comprised of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalists Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan, is a collection of talent so substantial that the resulting musical discourse is beyond any expectations.
Their three distinct voices pressed into airy rhythms and transparent harmonies that filled the summer air with a buoyant musicality.
Brimming with contemplative silences and celebratory melodies, the trio’s set contained resplendent original song, and a singular tribute to Joni Mitchell with a reading of “Carey.” A juicy rendition of “Ryland (Under the Apple Tree)” provided a “Radio I Ching” moment as the site and song blended into a musical moment to cherish.
Iron and Wine, also known as singer/songwriter Sam Beam, has been developing a distinctive brand of lo-fi folk and hi-fi songwriting since 2002. When Beam and his band took to the stage, they stirred the atmospheric aura that had been conjured thus far into a frothing aphrodisiac of storytelling.
Iron and Wine’s set included a pastiche of carefully crafted pieces that recalled their genesis, yet became invigorated in their current iteration, featuring shifting textures and poetic dissertations.
Moving beyond folk, and into baroque through well intentioned musical movements and detailing, Iron and Wine’s set was played for people that listen and not just hear.
A lacy cross section of new and old and foraged and found songs were performed. The Iron and Wine rhythm section was tastefully attentive to every rhythmic detail and cinematic vocalization Beam could pull from his strings and throat.
His band disseminated a melodic jambalaya that felt like a cross between Neil Young’s Harvest band and the loose sensibility of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks era recordings perfectly framing Beam’s creative intent.
Opening with “Carousel,” from 2007’s The Shepherd’s Dog, was the only choice to ease the day into dusk and initiate the crowd into memorized musical focus.
The concert blossomed and was performed as if it was one piece of music. “Sweet Talk,” was strident and optimistic. “Cutting It Close,” from Iron and Wine’s most recent release offered quirky couplets and silly serious verbalizations. “Promising Light,” from Iron and Wine’s 2002 debut was a familiar figure in a new dress.
“House By the Sea,” from 2007’s The Shepherd’s Dog, was given an idiosyncratic reading that was comprised of sonic cutouts gently arrayed into a cohesive whole. The undulating clock like rhythm of “On Your Wings,” from Our Endless Numbered Days, was an emotive highlight and well received by the crowd.
Soon after, a blessedly rendered version of “The Waves of Galveston” highlighted Beam’s solo spot. He continually commented on the vibe of the crowd and interacted with a smile on his face. The love was reciprocal and resulted in a shared joy that reverberated between the singer, songs, and the audience.
I’m With Her, returned to the stage for the remainder of the Iron and Wine set and the synergy was tangible. Wide smiles and genuine looks of musical satisfaction were shared between everyone on the stage.
The song “Robin’s Egg” is the current consummation of the I’m With Her and Iron and Wine alliance and was played excitedly. Vocals were traded, shared, and painted sonically across the sweet apple orchard landscape.
The collaboration with I’m With Her is natural, akin to a sprout pushing through the fresh tilled earth of Sam Beam’s carefully cultivated folk traditions. The resulting roots are deep and grow into sensual songs of self-discovery.
A stunning reading of “All in Good Time,” from Iron and Wine’s most recent LP, Light Verse, followed. While the original reading featured Fiona Apple, on this evening her verses were given to I’m With Her’s three vocalists to take the song to a new and ascendant level.
It’s a rare evening when people, song, and environs combine into musical evocation. In an age where creativity is less about artistic expression, and more about self-gratification, to pay witness to unselfish musicality performed in real time, is to understand what live music is all about.
Photographs by Daniel Bocchino
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