Forest Fire n' She Keeps the Bees Knees

Finding myself at Glasslands twice in two days was definitely unexpected. In fact I hadn't been there in such a long time the decor seems to have changed (no more paint-it-yourself room when did that happen?). Ah well Hipsterburg must grow up too, what with the impending flood of yuppie condo dwellers that is poised to populate the Brooklyn side of the East River.

But I digress... We were at Glasslands to see our friends Forest Fire, who were back from Seattle for a short visit. They were joined onstage by Josh Lozano from Inswarm on bass, harmonica, and sometimes drums, and Sharon Von Etten on vocals. Natalie Stormann traded off on drums and keyboards and Adam Spittier laid down some organic samples. It was an intimate, folksy, yet powerful set, so powerful in fact that they blew a fuse towards the end. Electricity came back on just in time for them to play a few more slow thoughtful numbers. That's really how Forest Fire hits you, like a nice hot apple cider with rum; Mark Thresher's sweet, simple guitar licks and vocals draw you in, you are enveloped by the atmospheric call and response of his cohorts, then you get struck by his next line, which could be humorous, biting, or sincere, but always makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.





Right before them , I was treated to the blues stylings of She Keeps Bees. I had heard of this duo before and I must say this was a rare instance of a band really living up to their hype! Jessica Larrabee has one of those voices that just screams instant classic through every song, and the bombastic guitar and drums is a solid one-two punch to the gut.