The Oomph Music Blog

Photo: Laura Crosta

If you’re the least bit familiar with the Denver live music scene, you probably already know that the Larimer Lounge is known as a loud venue. By “loud”, I don’t mean the volume of the music, but the volume of the crowd. Generally, the later it gets, the more talkative the audience gets, to the point that bands sometimes have to work a bit harder to make themselves heard.

So when Rachael Yamagata brought her fall tour to the Larimer Lounge last Saturday night and kicked off her set with a decidedly soft, down-tempo number, the hush that fell over the crowd marked a true feat of talent and stage presence, evoking looks of utter disbelief all around. “I’ve never heard the crowd this quiet,” remarked one bartender.

What arrested the crowd’s attention so profoundly? Perhaps they wanted to hear the music.

In reality, singer/songwriter Rachael Yamagata’s current tour is quite different from what she’s done in times past. Her previous album Chesapeake leaned more toward uptempo tunes, while her new EP Heavyweight (released digitally last week, with physical copies for sale Nov. 27) is more reflective, with plenty of lush string and piano arrangements. To that end, Rachael wanted to put together a show that echoed the vibe of the new album, so instead of a full rhythm section, she brought string players.

To the Larimer Lounge.

Yep.

“I’ve gone out before with full bands and sort of the rock show, and it’s been a certain type of energy that’s been awesome,” Rachael said in a recent interview. “This just seemed like something I hadn’t tried in a while.”

Rachael gave fair warning to the crowd as she opened her set, apologizing in advance to anyone who had expected a rock show. “We’re gonna depress the hell out of you,” she said, tongue in cheek, then proceeded to open with a melancholy, string-heavy ballad, dark, haunting and beautiful.

The result was captivating. The room quieted down because people wanted to hear this side of Rachael Yamagata.

The tempo never really picked up much through the course of the show–nor was it expected. However, the mood was lightened in between songs by Rachael’s onstage wit, funny stories and interactions with the crowd. At one point, she lost her place in one of the songs with a case of the giggles, apologizing to the crowd for being “loopy.” While the mood of the music itself remained somber, it was apparent from the relaxed atmosphere that she and her band were enjoying themselves. And it was also apparent that the audience was enjoying it.

If you have a chance to catch Rachael Yamagata at one of her future tour stops, you definitely should. This tour is a rare treat from a gifted songwriter, worth catching–so I’m including her remaining tour dates below.

November 26, 2012
The Varsity Theater
Minneapolis, MN

November 27, 2012
City Winery
Chicago, IL

November 28, 2012
Radio Radio
Indianapolis, IN

November 30, 2012
Mr. Small's Theatre
Pittsburgh, PA

December 01, 2012
Virgin Mobile Mod Club
Toronto, ON

December 03, 2012
La Sala Rossa
Montreal, QC

December 04, 2012
Paradise Rock Club
Boston, MA

December 05, 2012
Joe's Pub
New York, NY

December 07, 2012
First Unitarian Church - Sanctuary
Philadelphia, PA

December 08, 2012
The Night Cat
Easton, MD

December 09, 2012
U Street Music Hall
Washington, DC

December 10, 2012
Local 506
Chapel Hill, NC

December 12, 2012
Vinyl
Atlanta, GA

December 13, 2012
The Bottletree
South Birmingham, AL

December 14, 2012
3rd & Lindsley
S Nashville, TN