I never thought I’d be excited to cover a show being played in a room smaller than my living room, but that’s exactly what happened last Wednesday at the Hawthorne Theater lounge. The lounge is a small venue, used to playing host to smaller local acts. With seating for a few dozen people, there wasn’t a lot of room to jump around.
I’m sure that the room arrangements came as a surprise to the band as well. Just hours before taking the (very small) stage, the band decided to perform an acoustic set. The arrangements had not been rehearsed in an acoustic manner but space limitations would make it difficult to perform their “normal”, electric, in-your-face live show. As each song played, lead vocalist Alexa Kabazie demonstrated tremendous vocal control and range filling the small space with her soulful voice. The band sounded tight and they looked like they were really enjoying playing to the Portland crowd. Alexa was seated, front and center. Guitarists Mike Keller and Cameron Stucky, each with their acoustic guitars, seated on either side of her. Bass player Clayton Wages and drummer Brian Sumwalt wedged themselves in behind them filling out the tiny triangular space. There was no way that Brian’s drum kit was going to fit in there, so he improvised, using the kickdrum, snare and cymbals from Art Of Dying’s kit.
Throughout the set, the crowd got bigger, filling the already claustrophobic space. If you get a chance to check Letters From The Fire out, you owe it to yourself to do so. If you’re lucky, you might get to hear their acoustic set. It’s totally worth it!
Setlist:
- Holy Ghost
- Bruised
- At War
- Uninvited (Alanis Morissette cover)
- Control
- Give In To Me
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Show review and photographs by RockRevolt Magazine photojournalist Terry White
