1/10/2024 0 Comments Hand habitsThis album is also misleadingly titled since there is nothing at all provisional about these songs. There was enough emotional grist on that first album to last more than a single lifetime, and yet it turns out that are more mills and wringers for us to be put through, as new album placeholder confirms. But this was a work of devastating power from which, as a listener, it has been difficult to recover, so it is difficult to speculate as to how Duffy herself has been able to pick up the pieces and move forward. Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void)(2017) was neither wild nor idle, although its humility was evident in the unassuming placement of the vocals in the mix and the languid musical arrangements, interspliced with poems (she called them “scenes”) by writers known to Duffy, suggested a vista that may well have been on the edge of an abyss. Their set seemed to end all too fast, with a final performance of “All The While” to close out the show, but Duffy’s haunting vocals and meticulously executed melodies drifted through the room even after the band walked down the stage stairs to join the crowd.Meg Duffy’s first album as Hand Habits had a title as misleading as her second one. Together, these two pals - who first met in Schubas - performed “can’t calm down,” my personal favorite track off of Hand Habit’s placeholder, and in my opinion, transcended by this live rendition with the pairing of West’s deeper harmonies with Duffy’s higher pitch. But when Duffy announced a special guest among the audience, I was absolutely thrilled to witness Lillie West of Lala Lala take the stage alongside Duffy. Duffy’s career is heavily ornamented with their slide guitar skills, from their solo on “Holding On,” from The War on Drugs’ Grammy winning A Deeper Understanding, to their appearances on Weyes Blood’s Front Row Seat, as well as their title of regular guitarist, bassist, and pianist in Kevin Morby’s live band.īeing a five-day music festival, TNK brought Chicago musicians out of the house to support fellow artists, as I ran into Chicago based musicians Tasha and Sports Boyfriend’s Eileen Peltier amongst the crowd. And when they pulled a slide out of their shirt pocket during “Flower Glass,” the crowd went silent, jaws dropped, with the exception of one gasped “nice!” causing a chuckle to roll through the audience. For instance, midway through “jessica,” the audience first got a glimpse of the polished impeccability of Duffy’s guitar techniques through an extended guitar solo (whammy bar and all) - shredding against an otherwise mellow, methodic ballad of forgiveness. It would be too easy to simply compare the stylistic and rhythmic choices of Hand Habits to those of Big Thief - Meg Duffy’s vocals to those of Adrianne Lenker - but that would be erasing beauties in each respective artist. After receiving a good laugh from the crowd over the playful lyrics following “a damn dog” getting out, they explained how they wrote this song for their dear friend Hannah Read (better known by the stage name Lomelda), unaware during the initial dedication that it would be a heart-yanking tale. Hand Habits then dove into the well-known “are you serious?” and “placeholder” before interrupting the recognition with another new one that Duffy affirmed no one’s ever heard. The final opener of the night, Fran, was soft spoken, yet commanded the stage like a headlining act, speaking with no urgency, but interacted with confidence unlike novice openers trying to cram in song after song. I’ve witnessed shows there in which I was one of only 20 people in the majority-family-and-friends audience, and ones like Saturday night, where the venue was jam-packed an hour and a half before Hand Habits even walked on stage.ĭream-pop artist Fauvely kicked off the night, followed by the raspier, twangier Garcia Peoples. I’ve been to plenty of shows at Schubas - the intimacy yet extensive recognition of the venue brings artists from all over to the 165 capacity space - from Chicago-based student bands to internationally touring artists. By Avery Adams Photos by Layton Guyton 18 Jan, 2020ĭay four of the five day Tomorrow Never Knows (TNK) Festival brought Hand Habits to Schubas, along with three opening acts for a night full of PBR drinkers swaying to calm, captivating music.
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