Delta Spirit | 02.04.09 | San Francisco
By Team JamBase Feb 11, 2009 • 3:55 pm PST

Delta Spirit :: 02.04.09 :: Bottom of the Hill :: San Francisco, CA
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The recently-formed Dawes took the stage first, playing smooth pop with a twist of alt-country, all while paying homage to the West Coast through sugary tales of happy-go-lucky love and simpler times. It was hard to believe that this was the group’s first live performance since their inception, and also served as the official release of their debut album.
After their short performance and with Other Lives waiting on-deck, some minor (yet frustrating) technical difficulties threatened the already-present flow that had been so precisely created; even as the five members of the Oklahoma-based group waited patiently to begin their set, a static moment of chaos was evident. Stepping up to the freshly presented challenge of winning back an anxious crowd, the serious rockers (with perfectly placed cellist Jenny Hsu in the mix) firmly grasped a hold of their time, diving head first into a complicated odyssey of Devendra Banhart-like folk mixed with the melodic exploration of The Decemberists. It was cellist Hsu and lead singer Jesse Tabish that stuck out most as entrancing, emotional performers, continuously reeling the crowd in and out of their lengthy tunes.
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Wearing a flannel shirt, trucker hat and the scent of intoxication, ringleader and frontman Matt Vasquez transformed the venue into one of the best college parties that never happened, where screaming, yelling and acting-a-fool was everywhere you turned. The beautiful thing about this performance, right from the start, was that it was so painfully clear that the group had every element under control, despite their seemingly uninhibited behavior. Slamming through tracks off their widely-popular 2008 release Ode to Sunshine, tunes like “People C’mon,” “Streetwalker” and “Children” kept the crowd on their feet and singing loudly. Even during mellower, more emotionally charged selections (“House Built for Two,” “People, Turn Around”), fists remained high and solidarity overwhelmingly spread.
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Regardless of the comforts provided while performing on their home turf of California, the members of Delta Spirit seem genuinely unfazed and certainly worthy of their headlining slot. If night one of their tour is any indication of the road ahead, rest assured that an eclectic array of commanding, contagious music will surely go unstopped.
Delta Spirit is on tour now; catch them here.
Continue reading for more pics of Delta Spirit…
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