Tabernacle, a former church in downtown Atlanta and now a Live Nation venue, captures harmonies better than any other local venue and in return engulfs worthy performers with the audience’s praise, performers like I’m With Her.
The trio is a folk/Americana supergroup for those in the know, and those attending in Atlanta knew, hushed exhales at moments of vocal perfection, hands grasping a companion’s arm in a moment than needed a physical sharing, and, of course, accolades at the end of each song.
I’m With Her invites the question of whether musicians who complement each other so well feel when they’re apart or, at least, if they wonder what they would have missed had they not decided to work together. With more than ten years as a trio, the band was a night away from completing their tour of Wild and Clear and Blue, released this year and just their second collective recorded work.
From left to right, the lineup featured:
Sara Watkins — fiddle and vocals, known for her work in progressive bluegrass with Nickel Creek
Sarah Jarosz — singer, fiddler, mandolinist, guitarist, bridging bluegrass and the outskirts of indie rock
Aoife O’Donovan — singer and guitarist drawing from folk, bluegrass, and Celtic traditions, a clear influence on their latest single, “Ancient Light”
The group takes their time through the set, often telling stories. The most humorous was Sara Watkin’s categorization of folk music topics into buckets, roughly recalled as follows: 1) “the old home place” – of mom and dad, but you can never go back because they’re dead, 2) “the seedier part of life” -also regrettable decisions in general – bad choices that you don’t regret, but are just there… and also murders, lots of murders, and 3) the gospel category, the old church traditions, maybe compensating for the murder bucket.
Their performance this night was amazing, as their whole tour seems to be regarded, and the songs from their new album bring their roots, but also surprising accessibility for those who might hear “folk” or “bluegrass” and pass on by. Don’t.
Given their other careers, it’s uncertain when they’ll return. This was their third visit to Atlanta over the years, and they’re fond of it, even the Beltline where they apparently spent some time dodging electric bikes. But it’s hard to imagine that this group won’t record and tour again, even with the demands of their projects. Give their new album a listen – or just a couple of songs featured below.
Irish brothers Diarmuid and Brian Mac Gloinn tour as Ye Vagabonds and opened for I’m With Her. They shared a short set of blended traditional Irish folk music, along with some originals, softly and carefully delivered, harmonies at the forefront. And, they got a standing ovation from a crowd who came ready for just that, a perfect opener for the headliner.
