Chicago – Over the past month, Jesse Marchant has been surfing U.S. highways in his Audi station wagon, drifting from one city to the next, putting on a one-man show, with songs new and old. Thursday night Jesse Marchant found his way to Schubas, where an admiring Chicago audience took in his bewitching performance. The Canadian singer-songwriter has been traveling alone in preparation of his upcoming tour with his band to support his latest album, Jesse Marchant. In a recent interview with Best New Bands, Marchant expressed pride in his musical growth, acknowledging that he has moved beyond folk, incorporating a “broader palette” of sound in this record.
Marchant humbly took to the dimly lit stage, closed his eyes, and started strumming the chords to the enchanting “Reminders, Defeats,” off the new record. On the album version, Marchant beautifully plays the piano, but on this night, he gently plucked at his guitar to build up the wonderful melody, which was just as sonically stunning.
He continued with the new, playing “Every Eye Open.” Every eye in the room was upon the lanky musician. The room was still. Later in the night, Marchant thanked the crowd for all the good vibes they were sending, noting that he hadn’t felt so much love his last few gigs and thanking the audience for not talking over him or losing attention while he tuned his guitar. Indeed, the room was quiet as a church and focused on him, like a congregation soaking up every moment of his lyrical sermon. When in the presence of such talent, it is hard not to find yourself captivated and mystified.
Watching Marchant play guitar while adding percussion with the aid of a kick drum, hi-hats, and a tambourine during “The Whip” was breathtaking. He managed to fill the stage with sound, as if he had a full band with him. Marchant barely spoke, but when he did, he softly whispered into the microphone. His shy eyes quickly scanned the room when he introduced “Winter Chicago.” A few hoots bellowed from the crowd after Marchant explained the song was written last Spring when he visited the Midwest city known for dishing out all four seasons in one day’s time. Three quarters of the way through, the room exploded with distortion. Marchant jerked back and forth, his hair flying around, before returning to the calm and closing out the song. It was quite refreshing to see him let loose, rocking out and cutting his folk strings.
That said, he did play some oldies, like “Swallowing Daggers” and “In a Different Time.” He busted out his harmonica for the latter, further invoking a sense of awe. Marchant closed out his set with the first song on Jesse Marchant: “Words Underlined.” He again sat at his makeshift drum kit, guitar in hand, emotional resonance engulfing the old music hall.
There aren’t enough words to describe the experience of seeing Jesse Marchant live. Just go see him next time he rides through your neck of the woods. Marchant is closing out his solo tour, but he’ll soon hit the road again, this time around with his full band in tow. Keep an eye out for tour dates on his Facebook page, and head over to iTunes or Insound to purchase Jesse Marchant.
Sarah Hess
After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.
You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
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