Monday night, July 30, I had the pleasure of not only setting foot inside The Triple Door in downtown Seattle for the first time, but also seeing new-comer Sarah Jarosz. Sarah Jarosz is only twenty-one, but her songs and musical capabilities sound like they could have come from someone twice her age. She holds a deep understanding of life that is refreshing to see when so much of the youth is the shallowness of Katy Perry and Justin Beiber.
Sadly, she doesn’t seem to appeal to many people in her age group. The Triple Door was filled with couples ranging in age from their thirties to sixties mostly. I did see one couple who were probably mid to late twenties and a girl of about twelve, but other than my son (who is 22 and introduced me to Sarah Jarosz), the audience was predominantly older at this sold-out show.
Jarosz played guitar, banjo and mandolin at different times while on stage and sang in an angelic yet powerful voice that at times reminded me of early Joni Mitchell but with more power and versatility. Her voice has an amazing range. Her music is the perfect combination of traditional country and traditional folk.
When playing mandolin, she picked out the notes rather than strumming them and is quite accomplished on all the instruments she played.
Accompanying her were two other musicians who appeared just as young as Jarosz. Nathaniel Smith played a wicked cello (to the point I thought the strings would catch fire he played with such speed and intensity) and Alex Hargreaves on violin. All three of them complemented each other beautifully.
Half way through the performance, Smith and Hargreave left the stage leaving only Sarah Jarosz to sing and play solo. She showed remarkable ease at being in front of an audience and even joked at this point, saying, “It’s just you and me now,” which evoked laughter from the audience. She then played a song she said she wrote while in New York City where she played at a club and could feel and hear the subway rattle through under her feet.
After that song, Smith returned and finger picked the notes on his cello while he and Jarosz performed a bang-up version of Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate.”
At most times the audience was so rapt with her music, the only sounds heard above the music were the sounds of clinking dishes until after each song everyone erupted in raucous cheers and applause.
While Jarosz did do a few covers, most of the songs were of her own composition. I feel privileged to have seen her in such an intimate setting. The sound mix and acoustics were absolutely pristine and the whole show was over before ten p.m. This was an abrupt switch from the punk shows I’ve attended that don’t let out until well past midnight.
Opening the show, were a couple women calling themselves the Shook Twins. Yes they are twins (identical) and their name is Shook. Laurie and Katelyn Shook are a Portland based duo who sing crystal-clear two-part harmonies while one plays guitar and the other plays banjo. Their music is very traditional, old fashioned folk, which I’m glad is finally making a comeback.
The Shook sisters appear very comfortable on stage. They claimed they were nervous, but even when they experienced technical difficulties, they managed to joke about it and perform a different song. What sets these two apart from other traditional folk artists is their use of their signature “egg.” This a huge golden egg that resembles a giant pear that Laurie slapped like a bongo then tossed in the air where it emitted a rattling sound resembling the sound of Pacific Northwest rain. Then there was also Laurie’s use of a different type of microphone, configured to look oike a phone receiver. The device made Laurie’s voice sound ghostly (which she joked about when she used it). These two sisters have a very unique sound and are very engaging and personable on stage as well as very talented. Their music is very melodic and light and airy and almost defies the deepness of their lyrics. They received a very enthusiastic and deserved audience response. They will return to the Triple Door when they headline there in November.
This was the final night I spent with my son as he was leaving to go to college in London the next morning, so besides seeing some great new talent, it was a special night in that I had one last outing with my son. I would recommend both artists who played and I have a strong feeling that Sarah Jarosz will be playing a much larger venue the next time she comes around.
