Chevron Festival Gardens
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
It has been a high energy start to the Chevron Festival Gardens, but by the time Tuesday night came around things were a little more subdued. Tables and chairs were arranged inside the venue so as punters could be comfortable whilst taking in the stripped-back headliner.
First on stage was Jasia, who is a Jamaican born multi-instrumentalist who now calls Australia home. Although a lone figure, he was adept with samples that added beats and strings (amongst other things) to the mix as he handled guitar duties and let his falsetto fly during his own take on the dream-pop genre.
It all started for Daniel Rossen when he moved to New York to attend University and started the duo Department Of Eagles as a bit of joke. It would be a few years later he would join Grizzly Bear who, at stages during their three album career, were the coolest indie band on the planet. Neither of these things would be abundantly clear when Rossen quietly perched himself on a seat at centre stage, picking up an acoustic guitar and going straight into Up On High – a tune from his solo record of a few years ago.
It is the Department Of Eagles songs that would transpose easier into the solo format, so there were a handful of these that made their way into the set. In Ear Park was given a succinct run through, with the impressive and rapid picking from Rossen making the most impact. Moving to the piano, Rossen shared a new song that is yet to be given a name but did appear to have the protagonist slaying a deer throughout.
Rossen’s appeal lies in his charismatic guitar playing, with Easier being pulled out of the Grizzly Bear repertoire and being far more interesting when Rossen was hanging onto the riff instead of warbling in a Jeff Buckley-influenced tone. Even when restrained by the most basic of instruments, Rossen is able to reinvent songs from his past whether they be his own or a tune such as Kathleen by Townes Van Zandt, that had been sucked dry of any of its country ache.
Rossen appeared most comfortable with a guitar in his hand, but it was when he was playing piano that the songs were the most melodic. The melancholy of Herring Bone was a highlight of the evening, and Deep Blue Sea was a close second thanks to some guitar work that recalled Blue Hawaii. The banjo that was sitting on the stage all night made an appearance for the final tune in Balmy Night which was a fitting end to what had been a humid Perth day.
It was a pleasant enough evening in the company of Daniel Rossen, but was clearly one for his band of true believers and was unlikely to win the heart of the casual listener.
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
