January 15, 2011

The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger at Local 506 1/12/11

Sean Lennon and gal pal, Charlotte Kemp Muhl, who are collectively known as The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, stopped by the Local 506 in Chapel Hill this past Wednesday night, and with the venue FILLED with curious and skeptical patrons, put on one heck of a show. I'm not afraid to admit that I was one of the skeptics, and I was sure this was going to be a potential disaster: the son of one of the top 5 most famous rock stars (usually never works out well) ever and a model that has graced covers of magazines all over the world for the past few years, playing music together. In a band. In front of people. Being serious about it. This had to fail.

I was completely and utterly proven wrong.



This group has strong potential. The duo plays trippy, folkie-type tunes with tongue firmly pressed into cheek. While the words were a bit contrived and almost nonsense at times, but the over all arrangement and delivery of the songs was almost flawless for what they were doing. It wasn't super difficult or over the top with twist and turns; it was very simple and engaging. With the help of a gentleman on french horn and trumpet and with Lennon on guitar and Muhl on bass and various percussion, the group was laid back and friendly. In between song banter was humorous and light, which I believe was a huge ice breaker for a group that is being lumped with expectations that not one person could ever meet, due to the lineage of the front man. The embraced the crowd and made everyone feel at ease. While he is not nor will ever be his father, Lennon is still very talented and I think has finally found the perfect vehicle and partner to gain the respect that he strives for all his adult life.

They are obviously still in the infant stage of this collaboration. It seems as through they are playing mostly tunes composed by Lennon, with Muhl throwing in her influence every so often. He is definitely the leader of this outfit, but is also seemingly willing to share as much of the spotlight with his girlfriend/musical partner as she wants. They genuinely seem to have fun playing together, and I think the crowd fed off the infectious attitude and fun demeanor the group exhibited.

Their music is perfect for a quiet evening at home or driving around town on a Sunday afternoon running errands. I look forward to hearing this group develop and gain more confidence in themselves and their music and I believe they will, as they mesh and write more together.

Go check them out. The music will make you forget that its rock royalty that is creating it, and I'm guessing Mr. Lennon is ok with that. They made me a believer.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing your account.
    Nice Monkees reference in the last sentence.

    ReplyDelete