Reviewsic [ri-vyoo-zik] -noun: Music worth talking about

Chicago’s own folk flavored musician Kevin Andrew Prchal gave show go-ers at Subterranean a taste of what he can do last week, as he played the Wicker Park venue along with Rego and Ha Ha Tonka. Having fondly spent a lot of time listening to Prchal’s full-length Eat Shirt & Tie, but never having seen him live before, we were eager to see what Kevin could bring to the stage. We’re happy to report that our high expectations going into Sub-T were not only met, but also greatly exceeded.

Prchal kicked off his set with ‘Soul Shaker’, a track that comes off light on the album despite its lyrics calling out the soul-shaking perpetrator. Jaunty and mildly attitudinal with it’s accompaniment, standing alone on acoustic ‘Soul Shaker’ has a much more raw, aching feel to it when heard only with Kevin Andrew Prchal’s oaky resonance and the strumming of a guitar. ‘Terrifed’ following the stripped down track, and while we did miss the organy-accordion from the album, this song was, once again, just as solid live as it is on the album. Note has to be taken of Prchal’s awareness of his own voice as he seamlessly belted and receded through the song, knowing just when to lean back from the microphone without ever sounding anything but pitch perfect. We were waiting with bated breath for the whistle portion of this song, anxious to know: Can he do it live? The verdict? Why, yes. Yes he can. Kudos to you Kevin, because as anyone who’s ever tried to whistle unaccompanied can vouch, staying in tune and on beat via pursed lips is no easy feat.

Prchal’s live set continued to impress as he charmed his way through songs ‘The Settling Cliches’, ‘Peace Not War’, and‘Heavy Clothes’. A Bob Dylan cover Prchal has previously played along with the Marky and Heather Hladish was included in the roster, along with a rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Reason to Believe’, for which AM Taxi’s Adam Krier joined Prchal on stage. The cover is something the two recorded together in order to commend the efforts of those helping in Haiti, and is up for free download on Prchal’s website. The night was wrapped up with ‘Another Fool (In Love With You)’, which was carried out nicely, even if we did find ourselves missing the graceful vocal contributions from Company of Thieves’ Genevieve Schatz that are included on the album version.

However, Prchal’s lack of female accompaniment aside, the song, like this set was an utter delight, and we found ourselves feeling a little chill despite the crowded room as he delivered the same seamless strumming and ear tingling solidity in his vocals that we found in Eat Shirt & Tie. Honestly, had it not been for the tinkling of glasses and bawdy conversation from the bar, we wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between this live set and the mastered version of the record- that’s how solid of a musician Kevin Andrew Prchal is. This Chicagoan officially has our stamp of approval as a talent on all fronts, and we urge anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of Prchal to head out and see him soon.

Kevin Andrew Prchal Online:
KevinAndrewPrchal.com
Myspace
iTunes

Tags: Free Music, Show Review, Video

This entry was posted on February 28, 2010 at 12:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.