The Books/Greg Davis @ Somerville Theater - 4/15/07

Regardless of the nor'easter pounding down on Boston, the dreary weather seemed to fit the mood of the quaint show at the Somerville Theater. Greg Davis started off by slowly constructing droning, ambient pieces by layering vocals and other effects on top of another. I'm a sucker for musicians that can create something out of nothing in a live environment and can captivate an audience with something that feels more like an experiment in sound.

With the giant projector in place, The Books took the stage and started with a new song that featured the alphabet jumping out on the screen. For the next hour, the duo played guitar and cello while whatever other samples/effects/instruments weren't present synched up with visuals that ranged from hilarious to heartbreaking. The main focus was not the group, but the incredible visual display that added to the sensory experience of the live show and brought it to the next level, making it more like an art exhibit than a concert.

The Books setlist - Somerville Theater - Somerville, MA - 4/15/07
ABC (the alphabet song) - new song, An Owl With Knees, Don't Even Sing About It, cover of a Nick Drake song "Cello song", If Not Now Whenever, 8 Frame, Classy Penguin, Tokyo, It Never Changes to Stop, Meditation, Be Good to Them Always, Future Wouldn't Be That Nice, Smells Like Content, Take Time, Encore: That Ain't Right Shit

update: thanks to the anonymous commenter who helped out with the setlist!

More photos at the flickr page.

Greg Davis





The Books