WERS 88.9 fm Performance Wrap-Up: Guggenheim Grotto live at Club Passim

November 6^th, 2009

Guggenheim Grotto are a tough band to label. The eclectic Irish duo is touring in support of their second full-length album, Happy The Man (2008). In mid-October, taking a week off from their tour with They Might Be Giants to headline some smaller shows in the Northeast, the band played to a packed room at the tiny Club Passim in Harvard Square. Though Club Passim has a banner proudly displaying "50 Years of Folk," on their stage, the band, consisting of Mick Lynch and Kevin May, played more than juts folk. They opened their near two-hour set with the words, "We're going to play a song about October and the universe," and began with the ukulele-driven ditty "The Universe is Laughing." But what followed spanned the range of blues, with songs like "Oh Nikita," mellow piano ballads like "Lost Forever," and sweet pop goodness with "Fee Da Da Dee," which had the entire club singing along. They played a mix of tracks off of their first album, Waltzing Alone (2006), and even sampled some tracks off of their upcoming release, which they plan to drop in January of 2010. Present in every song, regardless of genre, are gorgeous harmonies, thoughtful (sometimes philosophical) lyrics, and simple melodies. One song off their upcoming album, "Wisdom," had a Black Keys-sound, with Lynch (the deeper of the two singers) snickering, "Wisdom hasn't found me yet." At one point, the band started to play an unreleased tune, a slow and gorgeous piano ballad titled, "Diamond Tree," which ended after about fifty seconds. "A second verse is coming," May deadpanned.

The space of Club Passim was very intimate, and the opener, singer-songwriter Maia Sharp, provided a good primer for the rest of the show. But Guggenheim Grotto captured the audience's attention and held it, with their wisecracks, their undeniable onstage chemistry, and their multi-instrumentalism. At any given interval, Lynch would be playing the acoustic or electric guitar or the ukulele, and tapping a beat while harmonizing with May, who would be singing and playing keyboard or guitar.  Despite the fact that they consist of just two members, their sound resonated from the stage like a full band.  Most admirable, were the harmonies that the two produced, which were sometimes in a falsetto, sometimes low, and always hauntingly beautiful.

Guggenheim Grotto has been playing huge venues with They Might Be Giants on this tour, but they clearly thrived in the one-room setting. During the encore, the band asked the audience of about 200 what they wanted to hear. They played five songs by request, including the lovely, "Rosanna", off of Waltzing, much to the pleasure of the room. Best of all, the band ended the show with something that they said they missed on the wide tour circuit: "We can't do this in arena," said May. They proceeded to unplug the ukulele and step away from the microphones for "Black Ties." May's vocals were choir-like, and Lynch's ukulele was beautifully simple, their harmonies never faltering and echoed throughout the room. The effect was mesmerizing, and the crowd left in a noticeably good mood. This is a band that you must see live, and if you can, see them in an intimate space like Club Passim.

- By Cady Drell

-Photo's by Al Grant