Holding the whole thing together was the driving force of Murph pounding out the beat behind his kit just to the left of Barlow and not quite center stage. He seemed to lose himself in the moment, long hair enveloping his face, as he stomped and whirled through the set. Barlow was a lightning bolt of energy, in constant motion as he played. To the right side of the stage, Lou Barlow was the antithesis of Mascis’ stoic and methodical playing. Frontman J Masics rarely ventured far from the left of the stage as he roared through searing solos drenched in squall, creating a wall of sound that rivaled his familiar wall of amps. The set was well balanced, showcasing new songs from Sweep It Into Space, including “Garden,” “I Expect It Always,” and “To Be Waiting,” with a mix of fan favorite tracks like “Freak Scene,” “Tarpit,” and “Start Choppin’,” pulled from across every era of their catalog.
The trio immediately dropped into a groove and chugged through the set with a familiarity refined over 15 years of playing together. That was followed by “Thumb,” before digging into the new album with “I Ain’t”. The band, consisting of lead singer and guitar wizard J Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow, and drummer Murph, put their heads down and started at the beginning (literally) with “Bulbs of Passion,” from 1985’s debut album Dinosaur. Despite the small inconvenience the Monday night crowd was in high spirits and really roared to life when the lights dropped and Dinosaur Jr. In an effort to address the safety of both performers and audience members, the Cradle has continued to require all attendees to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID test before entering the venue, and once inside audience members are instructed to wear masks at all times. The tour did finally manage to cross the starting line on November 11 th, and we caught the 4 th show of the run at a sold-out Cat’s Cradle this past Monday in Carrboro, NC. This time, with the contagious Delta variant leading to a rise in cases and hospitalizations, the band made the decision to postpone their September and October tour dates.
Ryley walker setlist full#
After playing a few socially distanced shows last September, the band had planned to launch a full North American tour this September, but once again the pandemic reared its ugly head. Their fifth post-reunion album and 12th overall, the Kurt Vile co-produced, Sweep It Into Space, was released back in April to widespread critical praise. have emerged from the COVID-19 induced lockdowns and isolation over the past year with a new album. Walker performed five of the eight songs from Golden Sings before finishing with the title-track of last year’s Primrose Green.Indie icons Dinosaur Jr. This isn’t easy music to get into, but its challenging nature brings a great reward when it truly clicks. “Sullen Mind” was a highlight of the set, beginning as a spacey, acoustic folk track but building to a massive electric jam by its finish, the layers of interlocking instrumentation drawing easy comparisons to a young Grateful Dead. Though Walker sounds fantastic performing alone on an acoustic guitar, his spattered melodies and intricate finger picking sounding far too easy on tracks like “The Roundabout,” the phenomenal backing band remained the highlight, bringing new life to the songs’ mature chord progressions and riffs.Īnd this maturity certainly came through in the new songs. The jazz-oriented rhythm section kept time as the guitarists allowed the song to swell constantly upward, creating a colossal sound for Walker’s delicate vocals to eventually lie atop. The band members eased into the track, extending the instrumental intro into a psychedelic, Doors-esque jam that incorporated harp and organ. Walker opened with “Age Old Tale,” the last song from the new record. The intense live setup promised a massive sound, which the band certainly delivered. A drummer and upright bassist stood in the back, with two multi-instrumentalists behind keyboards, a second guitarist and Walker in front. Walker’s band took up every inch of Empty Bottle’s small stage, with six members total. Though the six-song set felt criminally short, the songwriter’s hour-long performance was beyond impressive, demonstrating the merit of both his new songs and live band throughout. Ryley Walker performed at Empty Bottle on Thursday as a record release show for his excellent new full-length Golden Sings That Have Been Sung.
It’s not just the sheer technical proficiency of his live band. It’s not just the timeless yet completely unique sound he’s mastered by the age of 27. It’s not just that he’s from Chicago, or that he’s worked for years to make a name for himself. Following Ryley Walker somehow gives the feeling that you’re on to something.
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