Les Ourses

Culture Bully finished out a busy month by putting together a really great show at the Acadia Cafe on the West Bank in Minneapolis. The show was headlined by the Absent Arch with opening support coming from Suzanne Vallie and Les Ourses, highlighting three very different acts from the local scene who take significantly different approaches to creating their music.

Les Ourses

First up at the crowded bar/coffee shop was new local band Les Ourses. I had not heard the band before and I spent most of their 40 minute set trying to figure out how I would describe their unique sound. The best I could come up with for the seven piece band was to say that they were playing Prog-Opera. The band, with a two piece string section, two guitarists (one who also played drums), one bassist, one drummer and a lead singer who also played guitar and some fiddle, was so big that the small stage could not contain them. Their two string players sat on the floor while the rest of the band was up above them on the stage. Their music, which reminded me musically of Muse with a more dramatic lead singer who was not afraid to utilize his crazy falsetto, was definitely an original band. While there was undoubtedly some room for improvement for this young band, they also showed some talent and proved that they were unafraid to try something different in a music scene that sometimes gets a little over saturated with bands that fall neatly into a few easy genres.

Les Ourses

Les Ourses

Suzanne Vallie

The P-Funk level of people on stage for the Les Ourses set served to make the stage seem huge when Suzanne Vallie stepped up to play her solo act. The local singer/songwriter, who used only her ukulele and a stunning set of pipes, was a stark difference from the first band and probably was a little more along the lines of the bands that usually play at the small Acadia. Her songs were simple and straightforward, guided by her quirky singing and lyrics and propelled by her great sense of melody and simple arrangements. Vallie is an artist with a excellent future and is someone to keep an eye out for in the future.

Suzanne Vallie

The Absent Arch

The headliners of the night were the Absent Arch. The band, who put out one of the strongest local debut records in the last few years, has become a powerful live band in their own right. Their CD, Keep Calm and Carry On, is a stirring mixture of folk songs that showcase the strong songwriting talent of lead singer Will Markwardt. The band, which featured guitar, drums, upright bass, viola and an auxiliary player, swayed and swelled though their 45 minute set and kept the crowd wrapped around their fingers. Like other times I have seen the band, the overlapping sound that the band uses to create layers of sound live sometimes can get in the way of hearing the vocals, which is always a slight disappointment for me since the album has some great lyrical moments. The band is still coming into its own as a live unit (they have occasionally used keyboards in the past), but I have no doubt they will continue to improve and amaze live audiences around the Twin Cites (and beyond) in the same fashion that they have proved able to with their stunning first record.

The Absent Arch

The Absent Arch

The Absent Arch

[review by Josh Keller, photos by Jon Behm]

The Absent Arch: Official | MySpace
Suzanne Vallie: MySpace
Les Ourses: MySpace

Also: (The Absent Arch “Keep Calm And Carry On” Review) (Suzanne Vallie “Water Table Review”) (Les Ourses “Prepositional Blues”)