Other Lives / Brillobox / 02.22.2012 / Doors 9:30 / $10

Words by Brendan

Other Lives have come a long way from humble beginnings as Kunek in Stillwater, OK. Their cinematic folk rock has caught the ears of many fans and earned them a spot on tour with Bon Iver last year and now a string of dates with Radiohead (Yeah! That Radiohead!) this month and next. Seriously, 5 days after this show at the upstairs Brillobox stage, these talented musicians will be playing arenas across the country. Don’t miss this chance to see them up close and intimately personal while you can. What’s more, we’re gonna help you out by (possibly, if you win) giving you TWO FREE TICKETS! Read on for all the essential details.

Other Lives / For 12

I used that word “cinematic” to describe Other Lives‘ brand of pastoral and lushly arrange folk rock music, and it is absolutely a perfect adjective. Listening through their 2011 LP, Tamer Animals, you’ll conjure a stunning swath of mental imagery, whether you like it or not. You might have intense flashbacks to hikes or mountain climbs or road trips or a weird depression on a sunny beach (too specific?). Or, you might start imagining a whole array of visual vignettes, weaving them together into a scripted tapestry. That’s the power their music has.

The fullness of folk sounds and the beautiful voice of singer Jesse Tabish earn comparisons to Fleet Foxes, and that’s a pretty accurate touchstone if you’re looking for a litmus test. I’ll note this, though: if the hippy, campfire-round aspect of Robin Pecknold et al. is a little, well, if not off-putting, but still somehow grating to you, as well, you might dig the more other-worldy, foreboding instrumentation and vocal atmospherics of Other Lives. In the world of Beatles tunes with sitars, Fleet Foxes is “Norwegian Wood” and Other Lives is “Tomorrow Never Knows”. I know which one I’m favoring.

 
Other Lives / “For 12″ / Tamer Animals [TBD, 2011] / dir. Nick Davidge

 

I’m convinced the band must carry 25 instruments in their van to pull off these songs live, so I’m incredibly curious to see this show on the relatively tiny Brillobox stage. In reality, they’ll actually only need some guitars, drums, a piano, a cello, a clarinet, a violin, and a ton of microphones to gt the main sounds, but they only have so many people (5, I believe) to play these simultaneously … It’s bound to be a show, in addition to a concert, that’s all I’m saying. This glowing live review by UK’s The Guardian has my hopes pretty high, too, for their ability to make these songs work in person. Also playing this show is self-described “glam folk” band WIM, whose similarly diverse array of instrumentation (I hear accordions and strings in the few songs I’ve sampled) and wondrous vocal melodies ought to perfectly complement Other Lives.

Here are the essential details, in case you were wondering: Leave a note on our Facebook wall (like us first or it won’t count!), @ us on Twitter (with the hashtag #OtherLivesPGH, and follow us first!), or send me an email to enter the contest! Just say “I want Other Lives, not another life” or “I’m no tame animal” or the like. It really doesn’t matter, but hopefully you can be wittier than me. We’ll pick a winner (at random) on Friday and let you know who the lucky guy/gal is! Best of luck and see yinz there!

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Buy tickets for this show: Online / Call 412.621.4900 / Brillobox website

Other Lives on the web: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Insound
WIM on the web: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Insound / Soundcloud

Filed under: Live Music, Ticket Giveaway