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Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > October > 03 > Entry
Live review: The Greencards
Most bands will pepper their performances at large outdoor festivals with token acknowledgments of their love for whatever their current city may be — among live music clichés, the popular “We love you Cleveland”-esque shout-out is among the most pervasive.
But when the Greencards go out of their way to express their delight at returning to Austin, as they did on the intimate BMI stage on a cool Friday evening, you get the sense they really mean it. Partly that’s because the progressive bluegrass trio — made up of Australians Carol Young and Kym Warner and English musician Eamon McLoughlin — was formed here in 2003 before uprooting to Nashville in 2005. And partly that’s because their jam-heavy, joyous set had the genuine sense of fun and camaraderie that all the best homecomings have.
The Greencards’ 45-minute set featured a number of instrumental jams, but the band successfully avoided the dangerous trap that is the self-indulgent jam by keeping their performances brief and energetic. As each member of the band took a brief period to solo, with McLoughlin’s robust fiddle-playing a consistent highlight, an already trusting audience grew more engaged, and hand-clapping and occasional shouts of approval became de rigueur.
But it was Young’s voice, a smooth lilt that nonetheless, on striking performances of new songs — like “Fascination,” the title track off their 2009 album — and old favorites veered into surprisingly powerful moments of darkness and tragedy. It’s the Greencards’ greatest secret weapon, and though they had to contend with the sound bleed that’s long been endemic to the BMI stage, they performed admirably and enthusiastically, with the kind of tight and energetic playing a band can only have when — yes, genuinely — they’re awfully happy to be back home.
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