Live Clips: Walkmen, Blitzen Trapper/I&Wine

All the concert news ‘n' reviews that's fit to print.

By Blurt Staff

More concert coverage from your friendly neighborhood BLURT - this time, we've the Walkmen & the Decemberists in Ithaca and Blitzen Trapper & Iron and Wine in Baltimore (both reviews featuring exclusive photos).

• *April S. Engram caught the Walkmen opening for the Decemberists at Cornell U in Ithaca, NY, on Nov. 9 and succinctly observed, "The Walkmen were simply flawless." (She was pretty impressed by the Decemberists too, even though she'd gone to the show to see the openers, noting that Colin Meloy & Co. "was able to keep a room fully energized from start to finish.")
• *Then Zach Herrmann was in the house for the Blitzen Trapper/Iron and Wine concert at Baltimore's Rams Head Live! venue on Nov. 18. The openers, noted Herrmann, came out strong but ultimately got bogged down with pointless jamming. "Still," wrote Herrmann, "when Blitzen Trapper stuck to what it does best - down-home, electric pop, served briskly - the results were enjoyable." Of Iron and Wine, he pointed out that Sam Beam is an admirable risk-taker in concert, audience be damned: "Beam largely left behind his sparse and beautiful (but occasionally tepid) balladry for something a little more interesting."

Check ‘em out at the provided links, or simply scroll down the BLURT front page to the reviews section. We've also got new book, DVD and CD reviews being added daily.

[Photo Credit of Blitzen Trapper: Zachary Herrmann]