On a rainy Friday night in Mill Valley a few hundred soggy concertgoers packed into the Sweetwater Music Hall for a muggy but invigorating evening with Two Gallants. After a fiery opening set from the Once and Future Band, the sold out club welcomed the freaky americana-rock duo and their raw mix of country-blues and grungy rock and roll to the Marin suburb for their first Bay Area show in nearly four months.
From the opening moments of the set, it was striking just how much sound the band got out of only two instruments. Frontman Adam Steven’s distorted fingerpicked guitar and Tyson Vogel’s punk-virtuoso drumming interlocked seamlessly, enveloping the dance floor and transfixing the crowd. As the band kicked into their signature anthem “Steady Rollin,” the audience inched closer to the stage, swaying and singing along with Steven’s gravelly vagabond vocals.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of the night came as Stevens grabbed an acoustic guitar and harmonica while Vogel hopped off the kit to perform “Broken Eyes,” a plaintive folk ballad whose delicate harmonies revealed the intense chemistry between these two lifelong band mates. To close out the show the duo ripped through the cathartic “Nothing to You,” a manic waltz that gave everyone one last chance to sing along before finishing their beers, finding their coats and wandering out into the blustery winter night. –Ethan Varian
Photo Credit: Charlie Villyard