From Sound on Sound: Weekend Sound Bites

As the sun set over Long Island Sound on Saturday, Sept. 24, an unmistakable excitement buzzed in the air for this year’s Sound on Sound Music Festival. Soon, The Lumineers would take the Seaside Stage. To this largely granola crowd, the band can be considered something of a cultural icon — so the collective anticipation was palpable.

Despite the high expectations that awaited them, The Lumineers did not falter. Lead singer and guitarist Wesley Schultz delivered his signature gritty vocals in a vocal performance that — had it not for one lyrical mixup during “Ho Hey” — could easily have been accused of lip-syncing, so pristine was its quality. With a well-planned synchronization of stage movement; a satisfying variety of slower, more instrumental songs like “Charlie Boy” as well as fuller, upbeat songs like “Big Parade”; and lovely violin melodies uniting it all (courtesy of Lauren Jacobson), the performance was something of a spiritual experience.

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With an expansive 20-song setlist, the band certainly more than satiated the crowd’s hunger to hear all of their favorite tracks from the group’s different eras. Afterwards, with the last of “Stubborn Love” ringing in everyone’s heads and hearts, the crowd was left to await Saturday’s headliner, the legendary Stevie Nicks, filled with the reminder that The Lumineers are truly one of the best things to have ever come from folk rock.

Another similarly talented folk rock band to grace the Sound on Sound stages was The Head and the Heart, this time on Sunday, Sept. 25. Despite donning primarily black attire — with the exception of the split dyed pink-blue hair of member Charity Rose Thielen — The Head and the Heart colored the cloudy Connecticut day with a setlist full of energetic rhythms powered by foundations of strong percussion and guitar complemented by the lighter tones of the keys and the violin.

The Head and the Heart performed on Sunday, Sept. 25. By Courtesy of Deanie Chen / Sound on Sound

Aside from this being the band’s first time performing in Bridgeport, lead singer Jonathan Russell recalled the group’s time living in their producer’s home in the city for a month mixing what would become their 2013 record, “Let’s Be Still.” Surely, some of that nostalgia was captured during “Rivers and Roads,” their most popular song and the last of the set. Beginning with a mellow acoustic line, the song swells into a gorgeous arrangement of harmonies and poignant lyrics that — while terrific on the recorded track — pack a different punch when delivered with the rawness of a live performance. And with the rain beginning to fall on the festival right as the song began to build, the concert’s final moments were nothing short of picturesque.

Later on, as the second and final day of Sound on Sound began to close, folk rock artist Brandi Carlile took the stage. She started with some spunk — leading with song “Broken Horses” — and from the set’s onset it was clear that Carlile’s bright, wholesome energy would be infectious. Carlile appeared to have the time of her life performing — dancing, interacting with the crowd, and smiling all the while — with a dynamic setlist to match. She performed snappier, rock-leaning songs like “The Story,” intermingled slower, softer tracks like “The Eye” (with glorious harmonies by brothers Phil and Tim Hanseroth), as well as covers of classic favorites like “Space Oddity” by David Bowie and Radiohead’s “Creep.”

As the final day of Sound on Sound began to close, folk rock artist Brandi Carlile took the stage. By Courtesy of Rachael Polack / Sound on Sound

Carlile also shared the heartwarming personal touches of family in her music, particularly her relationship with her wife, Catherine Shepherd, in “You and Me On the Rock” as well as her two daughters, Evangeline and Elijah, with “Mama Werewolf.” These pieces felt especially sweet given the fact that Carlile’s family had joined her at the show that night. The bottom line remains that Carlile clearly has an impressive voice — expressive, powerful, and with that distinctive twang — and she sure knows how to use it. It is this combined, however, with her unabashed confidence in her identity (ending with an acoustic cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with a pride flag on the big screen), joyous stage presence, evident love for her craft, and generally endearing personality that make Brandi Carlile a true class act. And whether swaying to a mellow ballad or completely rocking out, there was never a moment when she did not have the crowd in the palm of her hand.

—Staff writer Julia Hynek can be reached at julia.hynek@thecrimson.com.