Concert Review - The Lonely Forest

So I went and saw The Lonely Forest at Washington Park in Anacortes on Wednesday, and I have mixed reviews. Don't be confused, though, because the band was AWESOME! The reason for my mixed review was because I found out about the concert on the bands myspace page, and all it said about it was time and place and a list of bands. Unfortunately when we got there we realized it was sponsored by a youth development center, and the average age was probably around 14. Soooooo, we kinda hung out around the outskirts and just enjoyed the park.

All of the bands we saw were good (The Globes and The Oregon Donor), but we got a little closer to watch The Lonely Forest perform. The musical ability of the band is definitely not in question, as both drummer Braydn Krueger and bassist Eric Sturgeon wailed on their instruments, and singer John Van Deusen's vocals ranged from a decent falsetto coo to a larynx ripping scream. The band opened with "We Sing in Time," which is the song that really hooked me on them, and it was almost a picture perfect copy of their studio version, which was all the more impressive when Van Deusen went to his loudest and raspiest. We were actually a little taken aback by the volume and emotion that blazed out of the speakers at first. They did a few other songs I really enjoyed, too, including "Tomato Soup"," Two Pink Pills," and a cover of XTC's "Statue of Liberty." I think they are much more impressive live than on record, which will hopefully help them generate some more press outside the local area.

The band's sound is a little hard to pin down, but I think they sound a bit like Dismemberment Plan in the way their melodies sound, and Van Deusen's voice is like a more rocking Colin Meloy of the Decemberists. But there are plenty of elements that remind me of Jimmy Eat World, Muse, or Weezer, and other bands as well. Anyways, I encourage you to check out their myspace page, see them live if you are in the Pacific Northwest, and look for their sophomore release when it comes out. I think this band has all of the tools it needs to make it big. If so, you heard it here first!