Plants and Animals North American Tour – REVIEW

Plants and Animals’ North American tour came though Schubas Tavern in Chicago recently with supporting bands Hundred Waters and American Wolf. Our review of the show can be viewed after the break.

Finally, the harsh and unpredictable Chicago weather has broken and spending my night at Schuba’s Tavern and music venue was starting off on a good note. As soon as I got into the venue the indie rockers, American Wolf had begun to take the stage and kick off the night. As they made their way through the set, American Wolf definitely impressed me with their blend of ambient post rock and jazz influences. The lead singer, Sal Plant with his vocal range, choice of guitar style and mannerisms, made me instantaneously think of lead man John Gourley of the band Portugal. The Man. What American Wolf lacked in stage presence, they made up for in overall sound.

The second stage set up for the night left me rather perplexed and full of questions in need of some serious answering. The reason I was in a great state of confusion probably stemmed from the, two DJ set ups, single keyboard, tom drum, traditional African drum and a flute. Hundred Waters was by far the most unique band I have seen in a long, long time. Heavily electronic influenced, these five Florida musicians make perfect use of harmonies and incorporate intense and obscure rhythms literally had the crowd dancing in place. As they approached their last song, the engineer had told them that they had played past their allotted time limit, but an enormous uproar from the crowd quickly overruled the engineer’s decision. For the first time in my life, I had witnessed the crowd beg for an encore from a band who was not a headliner. After much chanting and pleading, the crowd got what they wanted and every moment was worth it. Hundred Waters stole the show, hands down and surprised everyone in the room that night.

The grand finale was fast approaching; Plants and Animals had traveled great distances from Canada to be at this small venue in this large Midwestern city. Plants and Animals had post classic rock sound for the most part. I could see the appeal to middle aged fans who, had once rebelled in their youth to similar bands, many many moons ago. They had added to the collective of odd instruments but still kept to the traditional set up for most of their set. Each band member had their own personal style, stage presence and overall personality along with an essence of confidence. Their writing style made me feel; warm, fuzzy and a bit angsty inside, and I didn’t mind it one bit. Plants and Animals definitely had a few years of professional experience under their belts as well as many years of practice. These rock veterans gave a good show, pleased the crowd and did everything right.

Check out live photos of each band on our Flickr or at Plants and Animals, Hundred Waters, and American Wolf!

Information about the review…
Tour: Plants and Animals North American Tour
Bands: Plants and Animals, Hundred Waters, and American Wolf
Reviewer: Jim Vondruska
Date: May 11, 2012
Venue: Schuba’s Tavern in Chicago, IL