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To see Sylvan Esso on stage feels like seeing them at their most natural.
It’s the look of contentment on Amelia Meath’s face dancing over her own lilting and lovely vocals. It’s the “I can’t believe I get to do this” joy beaming from Nick Sanborn as he toys with melody and beats and effects. It’s them as a duo presenting with pride and gratitude the things they created — and the community they created as a result.
All of those things were present at Sylvan Esso’s Studio Milwaukee Session a few hours before their show Wednesday night at the Riverside Theater.
The performance was enough to make it an instant classic. But the fact that they’re only doing a couple appearances like this on their entire tour made it special before they walked in the building. When they did, a crowd rivaling our biggest of the year awaited the Milwaukee native (Sanborn) and the Milwaukee adoptee (Meath).
The couple was here just a few months ago to DJ the Backyard BBQ from our radio compatriots at WMSE, and they were all too happy to return on tour in support of new album Ow ∞, rattling off an entire Yelp page of places they visited during their relatively brief visit. From At Random’s ice-cream drinks to Goodkind’s chow to “that bar that used to be scary and now isn’t” (Busby’s), you’d think the mini-tour of Brew City would leave the tank a bit on the low side.
Then the music started, and Meath danced, and Sanborn played sound wizard, and it was three songs of wonderfulness that previewed the bigger helping at the Riverside Theater later in the day.
Dori Zori’s mid-set interview was no less delightful, with Sanborn and Meath naturally displaying the balance that makes them click as musicians and people. They talked about their decision to “inject all of the chaos in the world” into their music by expanding their duo to a six-piece live band, Sanborn’s affinity for “old cheap” equipment and what the child spirit of the band Sylvan Esso would say 20 years from now if they were asked what their childhood smelled like.
Studio MKE: Sylvan Esso set list
- “Concrete Glen”
- “Sledge”
- “Coffee”
