The Head and the Heart close 2013 solidly

Head and the Heart close 2013 solidly
Mark E. Ortega
Freelance
December 11, 2013

Photo by Ethan Shvartzman. More can be found here.

Seattle folk rock band The Head and The Heart played The Wiltern for the second time in less than a week, putting together sixteen songs that were well received by a near capacity audience on Tuesday night.

Sometimes, when a band plays the same venue in a short period, you worry they're not going to bring it as much on the second night. There was no disappointment as the eclectic folk group brought their best.


Touring in support of their recently released full-length album Let's Be Still, the band played many of the songs featured off the October release.

The set opened with their new single "Shake", which got the crowd moving early on. The group would play through their more rocking songs before slowing it down. One such song, "Ghosts", had a couple nearby to me dancing like nobody was watching, which is always good to see.

The banter between band members was enjoyable, making it obvious they have great camaraderie. They mentioned not having seen a sprinkler in five years and how the grass grows naturally in Seattle, which got some laughter

At the midpoint, the catchy "Lost in My Mind", off their 2011 self-titled debut, captured the audience as a majority of them seemed to know all the words.

The vocal mix of Josiah Johnson, Jon Russell, and Charity Rose Thielen is particularly enjoyable. You get a good taste of each, but it was clear most of the crowd was in awe of Rose's vocals. This was especially clear on their hit "Rivers and Roads", where Rose closed the song and the set by showing her tremendous range.

The encore ended the show emphatically with "Down in the Valley", sending the audience home happy, many of whom might be seeing their last live show of 2013.