“Your name’s not Jenny” protested Hiss Golden Messenger frontman MC Taylor to the first fan to scream when asked if there were any Jenny’s here tonight. “I just know it’s not,” Taylor said with a laugh. The intro to “Jenny of the Roses” was one of the few times Taylor spoke to the appreciative Louisville crowd in the intimate Zanzabar back room. Instead, the band communicated through nearly 2 hours of tight musicianship to the packed room of one of the city’s oldest local establishments.
Hiss delivered songs largely from the band’s latest release from earlier this year, I’m People, along with a generous smattering of earlier staples like, “Bright Direction (You’re a Dark Star Now),” “Sanctuary,” the aforementioned “Jenny of the Roses,” and a nod to the Jam Scene at the end of a blistering rendition of “Lucia” as it segued into the Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower.” Reception to the new material was welcomed openly with fans singing along in the low ceilinged space as if it were their living room. That’s largely what the new album seems to invoke. A sense of community and camaraderie that a night of live music brings forth to a local watering hole making the entire evening feel familiar regardless of whether you’ve been there before.
For the “I’m People” Tour, Taylor has amassed a stellar group of musicians including guitarist Chris Boerner, Keyboardist Rhett Huffman, drummer Matt McCaughan, and bassist Cameron Ralston. The quintet effortlessly brought Taylor’s songs to life as they are best heard, in a live setting. From the album opener “In The Middle Of It” to “Spirit Cat” and several more in between, the new songs breathed easy with their more well-weathered counterparts. As the final notes faded, the crowd lingered in the contented hush that follows a truly good show. It was a perfect Saturday night in Louisville.
Although last night’s show was on the tail end of this leg of Hiss Golden Messenger’s summer and early fall outing, the band will be back in November at venues on the East Coast. Be sure to catch them when you can!
Opening this leg of the tour was Vermont Native, Sam Amidon, an eclectic multi-instrumentalist who shared stories of his music roots and a failed attempt at a Jazz Camp early in his career.
