Making Music with Blake Mills at the Sinclair

October 22, 2014

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Adam Reynoso ’15 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

Adam Reynoso/Emertainment Monthly. — Adam Reynoso/*Emertainment Monthly*.

Continuing his tour, Blake Mills played at a sold out show at the Sinclair September 30. Following the release of his second album, “Heigh Ho,” Mills played a mix of tracks from the new album as well as some of his older music. The highlight of the show, however, was the duets he performed with guest Fiona Apple, who’s joined him for the tour thus far.

The show began with opening act, yMusic, an ensemble of musicians playing more classical instruments. Unlike most bands, the group simply played a collection of their music, comprised of instrumental tracks. They set the tone for the night, making sure the audience knew to expect the rawness of the instruments. It was an interesting set and an experience that one would expect to find at a concert hall. The ensemble showed their skills and played seamlessly through their set.

Once Mills came onto the stage, he immediate takes his place and goes straight into the first song of the night, “If I’m Unworthy.” By this point, the crowd had taken the remaining seats and sat to enjoy the show. With each song, Mills showed his talents and how strong of a guitar player he was. He went on to play “Hey Lover,” “It’ll All Work Out,” and “Gold Coast Sinkin.” But what’s even more impressive is knowing that he wrote a good portion of his songs. He’s a well rounded artist and it shows in his stage presence. His music reflects his style and blends the usual folk, indie genre with hints of jazz.

While Mills has the talent to lead the band, the rest of the band also show their skills as well. They keep up with his pace, which at times proves to be challenging as Mills plays the guitar with finesse. There was one set in particular where the drummer, Stuart Johnson, used his hands to make different sounds and it was something not seen often. Each song combined these different sounds together and worked to put together an entertaining show.

Towards the second half of the show, Apple came out to sing a cover of Conway Twitty’s “It’s Only Make Believe.” Despite the fact she’s been touring with Mills prior to her appearance, it was still a pleasant surprise that the crowd enjoyed immensely. Their second song together, and possibly Mills’ most popular was “Don’t Tell Our Friends About Me” and received a tremendous applause. Before playing, they recounted how the radios wanted to censor the song because of the lasy couple of verses, but to that, Mills and Apple both said how they said, “Fuck it” and played it how it was meant to be heard. And the song, as it was, was indeed probably the best song of the night as it had a sound that really grabbed hold of the audience.

Blake Mills played an amazing set that showcased his talent with the guitar, as well as his bandmates on tour. He played beautifully with Fiona Apple and proved to be one young artist on the rise.