Nashville – Following the 2014 release of his third studio album, Bahamas (a.k.a. Afie Jurvanen) has since embarked on a North American tour, visiting Music City along the way. This past Saturday, the Canadian artist played a sold-out show at the Mercy Lounge and, unsurprisingly, fans arrived seriously early to stake their claim at a proper place near to the front.
Even before the opening act, the crowd was densely packed all the way to the back of the room. Some even juggled beers and burgers from the Mercy Lounge patio, eating while standing in order to save the spot they skipped dinner to snag in the first place. This explosive turnout served to highlight both the artist’s success in 2014 and the swift, active start to his new year.
Best New Bands, among other critics, hailed Bahamas is Afie (via Brushfire Records)—Jurvanen’s most recent album—as nothing less than a triumph of hazy, cool, folksy sound. Making appearances on many 2014 favorites lists this past December, the album accompanied the artist’s meteoric rise during the final half of the year. However, in contrast to the loud energy and jittery anticipation the listeners brought to the floor, Bahamas took the stage with a humble grace, simply nodding to the crowd and smiling before kicking off his set.
Appropriately, a reverent hush fell over the concert hall as he nudged his way into the first number. In what felt like the mellowest beginning to a concert I’ve witnessed lately, it was as if Jurvanen had hypnotized the crowd. Midway through “Never Again”—a track off his 2012 release, Barchords—I noticed we were all swaying in tandem in a rippling wave that reached even the latecomers crammed into the back corner.
Similarly, Bahamas rolled into “Waves” with such ease and comfort that it seemed to make the Mercy Lounge ten times smaller and ten times more intimate. As the walls closed in around the audience, “Waves” rocked steadily like a lullaby and somehow, simultaneously packed a wallop of emotion that jolted any sleepyheads awake. What resulted was such a depth of feeling that can only be plumbed during a live performance.
Although this feeling is expertly communicated and arranged in the artist’s recordings, it’s an entirely different story altogether when you’re able to see his face as he feels his way though the song he wrote, or hear the raw chords bounce off the exposed brick walls. As the lights change color on stage and as the Saturday night crowds mill impatiently outside, a perfect storm of unfettered emotion amongst the calm, blooming melodies begins to brew, and you find yourself wondering why you didn’t jump on the Bahamas train years ago.
However, in the midst of all of his recent success, Bahamas appeared unruffled and purely relaxed on Saturday night. Maybe it’s because he’s just wired that way, or maybe it’s because Jurvanen has spent years dedicating himself to the art of songwriting and arranging, even before he came to be known as Bahamas. In any case, he manages to embody a satisfying contradiction of trance-inducing mellow sound and volatile passion. With such a rare, yet likeable, sense of self, it’s no surprise Nashville warmed up so quickly to Bahamas.
Check out Best New Bands’ coverage of Bahamas concert in NYC here, and keep up with his next planned tour dates via Facebook.
Amaryllis Lyle
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