Just a rundown of the goings-on at Mercy last night…
If you were at Cannery for Cold War Kids, then you missed 8 off 8th’s Spring Fling. Which means you missed hula hoop action, photobooth-ing, a plethora of garage punk and folky song craft and Neil O’Neil’s awesome sweater. O’Neil opened the night with some bare, pretty plucking before Jacob Jones went on, looking as usual like a 1920s carnie, peddling his worldly blues-country fusion. Seeing Jones play has been a bit rare lately as he’s been working on a new album. Buffalo Clover’s dancing, tambourine-shaking frontwomen and Shane Tutmarc’s gritty riffs and amusing Rob Thomas vibe got everyone properly stoked for The Lonely H, which brought hula hoopers to the front of the stage. It was lead singer Mark Fredson’s birthday, which may have helped fuel their raucous roots rock set, especially on their last song, “Flashlight Moon.”
The Grayces following set was energetic but an awkward transition; Iz Stone’s shrill vocals pierced through raw and stripped-down guitars that would have been appreciated more if not stuck right in the middle of so much country rock. Speaking of which, Little Bandit’s set brought local artists Jordan Caress, Erin Manning and Larissa Maestro to the stage to sing backup for the last song, “Diamonds Last Forever” before The Clones finished off with a prolonged set of slow-burning, blues-infused numbers.