Julien Baker @ U Street Music Hall - 9/12/16
“You guys are really attentive. Is everything okay?”
U Street Music Hall has seen its fair share of DJs and loud rock bands over the years, but it’s rare that it receives a quiet and powerful singer-songwriter, let alone a quiet crowd. Making waves at SXSW and a Tiny Desk Concert released earlier this year, Tennessee’s Julien Baker played songs from her debut album, “Sprained Ankle”, for the very attentive fans at U Hall.
She took the stage with a sole spotlight shining on her, a single guitar amp, and a looping machine. Some musicians will add props or extra musicians to give their set a bit of flourish, but not Baker. Her crisp vocals echoed across the 500-capacity room as she sang songs about religion and the fragility of life that had people feeling a bit emotional. Her guitar’s reverb gave her songs a greater emotional punch on songs like “Something”, especially when she layered multiple guitar parts on top of one another as she sang passionately to the crowd.
Julien Baker performing at U Street Music Hall in Washington, DC - 9/13/16 (photo by Mauricio Castro/@TheMauricio
Unfortunately, not everything can go without a hitch. In what seemed like an unusual comedy of errors, there were multiple nagging issues with the lighting and sound. At one point, Baker played in near-complete darkness for a few seconds, which drew chuckles from both fans and Baker herself. One memorable mic feedback moment occurred while she reassured the crowd that “Everything is going to be oka-” only to have the feedback suddenly reach an ear-piercing volume. “Okay, I guess not.”
Technical glitches notwithstanding, Baker hasn’t let the positive buzz go to her head. She remains as grateful as ever, thanking fans between songs and (as mentioned before) occasionally checking to see if the crowd is doing okay. Julien Baker didn’t need much to win over the crowd - her heartfelt lyrics and beautifully-layered guitar were enough to do that in spades.
Opening for Julien Baker was Philadelphia-based rocker Lexi Campion, also known as Grayling. Her music is on a different part of the guitar spectrum - where Baker sings quiet, layered songs with her guitar, Grayling goes down the more straightforward rock route, recalling some of the great alt-rock, punk, and emo bands of the ‘90s and ‘00s. Campion has a lot of bombast on stage, furiously playing her guitar and screaming into the mic. She only has released one EP thus far, “Everything That Burns”, but fans of Brand New and early Paramore should keep her on their radar.
