The Soil and The Sun: the next band to watch out for!

Did I mention there were four acts on Saturday night, the night The Calm Blue Sea played Miska’s? Well, the last act was a duo from right here in Chicago named The Soil and The Sun. Some of the guys from TCBS had chatted up Ben before the show and I was introduced. I don’t remember meeting Ben until afterward. It’s all sort of a blur, I’ll be honest with you, because after a few moments into their first song I think I lost a little of my memory due to lack of oxygen. I basically held my breath through their entire set. It was… breathtaking. Darlings, I really mean it this time. The Soil and The Sun are the real deal. This duo, who play a rather odd assortment of drums (together I don’t think the two of them have enough to make up a full set), shakers, tambourine, recorder, melodica, and a lovely acoustic guitar…. all accompanied by a looped background tape which they have also created themselves, before hand and control as they go, … this duo left all of us breathless, especially with IOWEEOW

Most songs start out with a simple percussion, a light tapping or the gentle shake of a rattle and then, in enters Alex’s quavering, beautifully balanced between reedy and hollow voice. He opens his mouth wide when he sings. His face is expressive and he’s completely into the forming of the sounds and words, and at times I turn away and watch Ben drum to hear him better and not be distracted by the level of his concentration. These songs are intentional but without a heavy feeling, quite the contrary, they’re labored over so much so as to be laid on us ever so gently. It’s folk music with very modern rhythms and one might even say world music undertones. I’m reminded of The Bony King of Nowhere at different moments on the CD that The Soil and The Sun gave me, but not all over it, not in a way that colors it exactly. The background tape swirls around above and behind these two men who drum with increasing insistence and Alex hammers the beat out on the coffee can he’s screwed to the side of his bass drum for Spirit of Memory until the end of it is this tribal pounding, and his friends in the front, sitting near him have picked up instruments and joined in. Ben provides perfect backup vocals, and a gorgeous light touch on the melodica and tiny xylophone (?) Alex lays down drumsticks to pluck deftly at his guitar, it’s simply beautiful, achingly beautiful. There’s no separating the two of them in the music even if Ben does claim that Alex is the “genius here.” I’m not really buying that. By the end of their set, all of us were standing and clapping and hooting and I will admit that I might have begun breathing by then. I’ve no idea what I said to them when I attacked them talked to them afterward. I do remember punching Alex in the arm. Sorry! He said it didn’t hurt.

What’s next for these talented musicians? I’ll let you know darlings! I’m in the process of tracking them down. I would love to see their music everywhere, I think it’s that good and so do a few others I’ve spoken with in the past day or so.  Right now The Soil and The Sun are  giving their CDs away for donations at their shows. If they’re reading this, I hope this prods them to give me a call! I promise, no more punching xoxo