Gabriel Wolfchild & The Northern Light
Crocodile, Seattle, WA
01.11.17

It has been nearly a year since Seattle’s own Gabriel Wolfchild and the Northern Light began a Kickstarter to produce and release their EP.  Since then, their project was fully funded and they brought their introspective brand of rock n’ roll to the East Coast when they embarked on their “Winter Storm” tour with Sawyer Fredericks.  Under the January Wolf Moon, they celebrated the release of their first EP, Mornings Like These.

Opening the night was local songstress Olivia De La Cruz. The soulful singer approached the microphone with a very unassuming presence.  That all changed when she belted out the first note.  Her sound and voice evoked a vintage spirit, a la Joan Baez with a neo-soul twinge like Madeline Peyroux.  This all came together on her song “Elephant,” where she played a pretty mean ukulele.  She was a solid opener for a night of singer/songwriters.

Second on the bill was another Seattle bard, Rory Van James.  His set started with his band – a cello, violin, and keyboards – coming out to perform a serene instrumental.  Van James is a simple man inspired by the wilderness, solitude, and silence; it certainly came through in his stripped down folk music.  While his voice had a melancholy to it, his songs had the optimism of a traveler’s heart. This sentiment was best expressed in “Golden Age,” a song that encourages the listener that “it is never too late to do what you feel.”  He is not only a fine musician, but an ambassador of the arts, and a fervent proponent of M-A-I Festival @ Doe Bay (www.maifestival.com), a 3-day music and arts festival that encourages collaboration and education.

As the stage was being set with their now signature vintage lights, the buzz at The Crocodile was palpable. The crowd waited for the culmination of a journey that started just about a year ago on that very stage.  Local singer-songwriter Kelsey Sprague started the set off with peaceful a capella vocals that accompanied Gabriel’s as the rest of the band got set to begin their night with “Mornings Like These,” the title track to their EP.

GWNL’s music can be described as folk rock that breeds connection. This is exactly how The Northern Light came to be.  Their community of very different musicians slowly came together as “a tribe,” in their words. With sweeping guitar riffs, a heavy percussion foundation, and an emphasis on the horns, they have crafted a sound that draws the listener to their stories.

Their set was highlighted by a spirited performance of their single “Runaways,” a song that conveys their love of connection and the journeys that we each take to get there.  Another song that garnered a stir from the crowd was “Shipwrecks,” an anthem to the hardships that one comes across to reach a destination or goal.

At the end of the night, the band engaged the crowd in a closing drum circle. The scene of which was so beautiful that it didn’t even matter what was being sung. It was a fitting way to end an evening for a band that loves both their tribe, and their role in bringing music to them.

Review and photos by Phillip Johnson

Gabriel Wolfchild & The Northern Light, Olivia De La Cruz, and Rory Van James