Photos by Pedro Paredes // Written by Kevin Quandt //
Incan Abraham, Mahgeetah with Jordan Klassen //
Neck of the Woods — San Francisco
June 3rd, 2014 //
“I never come to the Richmond,” Mahgeetah’s enigmatic frontman Ryan Fisher jokingly quipped to the crowd. A fair observation, but the comment shined a brighter light onto those who made the pilgrimage to the ‘nether regions’ of San Francisco. Along with Canadian folk-rockers, Jordan Klassen, and LA popsters, Incan Abraham, it was Mahgeetah who left the biggest impression on a decent sized, midweek crowd at the still new-to-many venue that goes by Neck of the Woods.
Klassen and cohorts delivered an energetic set of high-country indie-pop, with a male/female vocal delivery that felt both genuine and original. It was Mahgeetah who took the stage next, the stage’s King-of-Limbs backdrop created a unique setting for this quartet to re-take the stage after a few months in the studio. Expect an impressive EP to drop this year – a follow-up to 2012’s full-length release, Heavy Baby.
On this night, the dedicated crowd was treated to a smattering of old and new. “Creature of Habit” was passionately belted out by guitarist JJ Mellon, a standout on the their LP that has become a treat on stage. Longtime favorite tune, “Long Shot”, was another highlight as the slow build from Fisher and band burst with energy and groove comparable to White Denim. The rhythm section, featuring Tim Tyson on bass and Alex Swain on percussion, has always been a strong suit for this San Francisco act, and tonight showed no exception. All hail Mahgeetah as they continue to be an important piece in the local music scene.
Incan Abraham closed out an increasingly fogged-in Clement Street evening Tuesday night. Having played a show with Mahgeetah down in their home turf, it was time for Incan to bring their patented LA-tinged pop to the City. One characteristic that stood out quickly was the melodic harmonizing taking place between the respective singing. Also, an added element of rhythm lended a more-dance oriented feel to their set compared to the previous acts.
Incan do represent a solid piece in the ever increasing Los Angeles/Silver Lake indie sound – in the vein of acts like Local Natives and Voxhaul Broadcast. All in all, they got the dwindling crowd moving on a tricky night, in a place that might as well been across a bridge or a tunnel.
Great show! It wasn’t my first time at the Neck of the Woods but my first time upstairs.
I’m the nerd in the blue shirt.