Feist & Timber Timbre: Good Folks at the Academy of Music
Feist graced the Academy of Music on Tuesday, May 8th, with her beautiful voice and quirky style, with opening support from blues/folk group Timber Timbre. Opening the show, the Canadian trio remained largely a mystery, playing in the shadows, with only violinist Mika Posen popping close to the light on occasion to showcase her phenomenal skills. Timber Timbre lulled the crowd with their haunting yet strangely comforting sound, particularly when Simon Trottier switched up to the lapsteal. Taylor Kirk’s mellow but deliberate vocal styling submerged the audience into a David Lynch atmosphere – a serene surface thinly covering the darkened abyss.
After a break, Feist came out on stage, backed by Mountain Man. The trio of folk singers gave the audience a particular treat midway through the show with an acapella performance that left everyone in utter silence before erupting in huge applause. In addition to their vocals, Mountain Man also provided some percussion at several points, donning capes adorned with bells.
Feist’s set opened up with “Bad in Each Other,” the opening track off the 2011 release “Metals”. The stunning setting, which Feist referred to as a “miniature Albert Hall, but much more intimate,” provided a fitting backdrop for an artist that takes perfection and scratches it up just a bit to find the beauty underneath. When the audience broke out in cat calls, hollers, meows, growls, and barks, Feist noted that this is probably “the best this place has ever sounded, a post-apocalyptic place where the zoo has escaped and is living in the Academy of Music.”
Feist engaged the audience in a four part harmony for “So Sorry,” with the floor and the three balcony levels each eager to contribute. As Feist said, “amplifying the beauty of this place by not being super precious about it.” While much of the evening was spent with the audience comfortably seated, everyone jumped to their feet and started dancing at the familiar sound of “I Feel It All.” While most of the audience settled back down, two women took to the aisle to dance during a festive performance of “My Moon My Man.”
After an enchanting performance of “Get It Wrong, Get It Right,” the band briefly left the stage before returning for a more experimental sound in “The Limit to Your Love,” playing with the beauty of sound that accompanies the traditional structure. Feist closed out the night with another audience favorite “Let It Die.” A fitting end for the Academy of Music performance, Feist received a bouquet of flowers and shared one each with the three Mountain Man sirens.
[Article by MK] [Photo credits: Laura Lynn]
