By Alena Woods
Correspondent
Lively sounds were echoing from The Rathskellar last Friday night when two very talented bands, Accidental Seabirds and Pearl and the Beard, played for a rather small, yet enthusiastic crowd.
Due to the unexpectedly small crowd, it was an intimate concert gathering, which actually worked to the event’s favor. There was more room to sit back and comfortably enjoy the music with a group of people rather than stand on the sidelines or crowd too close together.
The audience members were able to order food and talk quietly in this nicely relaxed atmosphere. The energy from the musicians and the crowd was still very evident, as each band went up on stage and just had a good time.
New Jersey native band Accidental Seabirds was the first band to perform, and the members walked up shoeless and danced across the stage. Goofing around between songs, they played music from their album, “The Snow and the Full Moon,” which lead singer Jesse Lee Herdman described musically as “progressive indie rock.”
“I like to call myself a ‘singer/songwronger’ instead of just a songwriter, since the songs I write are usually unconventional,” Herdman said.
The audience really enjoyed their performance, too.
“The lead singer is talented,” freshman English major Tyler Callaghan said. “He can really sing and play guitar well.”
After Accidental Seabirds completed their half-hour set, Pearl and the Beard set up their equipment and graced the audience with a more delicate, alternative sound. Hailing from New York City, their pop folk eclecticism was reminiscent of bands like The Lumineers or Mumford and Sons, and they brought a unique sound to the stage and a slew of interesting instruments.
Along with an acoustic guitar, there was a percussive drum medley and even a cello player. It was definitely an unexpected pairing of sounds, but they blended together very well.
All in all, it was a very well put-together show, and it was refreshing to attend such a professional and free concert at such a small venue.
