Sofia Talvik @Mt. Tabor
With Gallon House and Jacob Miller and the Bridge City Crooners
People were milling around in small groups as wine glasses floated from table to table at the Mt. Tabor Lo 2000 unge in Portland and fans were treated to an intimate night of music this Saturday in Portland. Three bands took the stage at Mt. Tabor Theatre, which was the ideal location for the kind of personal and intimate sets that the bands played. The cozy location created an easy bond between the crowd and the musicians as they weaved tales and sang soulful folk songs to an engaged audience.
The show started off with a dreamy set from the duo of Matthew Price and Christiana Zollner of the band Gallon House. The duo played one of their first shows in the Portland area, having mostly played venues down in Salem and the mid-Willamette Valley, the band fit in perfectly with the Portland crowd at the show. The sweet voices of the two intermingled beautifully creating a docile yet strong set. The simple arrangement of Matthew on the acoustic guitar and the soft sound of Christiana on the violin was an enchanting combination. The duets between the two were the real highlight of the set as they sang tender love songs that showed just how good the two of their voices mixed together worked to create a beautiful sound. The band is celebrating the recent launch of their new website as well as the release of a new album.
Next on the stage was Swedish born songstress Sofia Talvik on a two year tour through the US called “On the Driving and Dreaming Tour”. Sofia and her husband started their tour in Florida and have been traveling the country in a rundown RV that they affectionately call “The Motor Bungalow.” The songstress sang folk songs that showcased her powerful yet haunting voice that echoed through the little lounge and reverberated off the walls. Her voice was deep and at some times took on an almost mournful aspect that was complimented perfectly by her simple plucking of the acoustic guitar. At one point during the evening she even regaled the crowd with a Swedish folklore song, which got many of the Swedish audience members singing along. She sang many songs that are featured on her latest album entitled The Owls Are Not What They Seem while also playing some songs from her prior albums. You can get the new album by paying what you want, or just snagging it for free right now!
The last band of the evening was Jacob Miller and the Bridge City Crooners playing out a set that was straight from a bygone era. Showing off a look and a sound that seemed as though the band was a transplant from early folk generation, complete with a washboard player and another member of the band jamming out on the harmonica, the band was an injection of pure energy to end the evening. It was “Good ole’ American folk music” as the band liked to call it, and they played it well. The songs were a lusty combination of jazz, folk songs, and banjo thrumming tunes that were impossible not to stomp your feet and clap your hands to. They combined classics from some of America’s most famous folk writers as well as some entertaining songs of their own. Check out the quartet’s website to check out their music.
Comments
It was a very fun concert at Mt. Tabor. I hope to come back and listen to all three bands play there again
We had a blast- thank you for the great article!
Thanks for the great article, John!
Comments
It was a very fun concert at Mt. Tabor. I hope to come back and listen to all three bands play there again
We had a blast- thank you for the great article!
Thanks for the great article, John!