Rachael Yamagata w/ Pressing Strings
Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
10.17.16
Critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata swung by Seattle’s hoe-down of a venue, Tractor Tavern, for a spirited set. At times a whisper, at others breathing fire, Yamagata’s gorgeous voice and moody tension were the perfect antidote to a rainy Monday night.
On their first North American tour, Annapolis/Baltimore-based three-piece Pressing Strings opened the night’s show with a 45-minute set that landed somewhere between blues-rock and an island vibe. There’s definitely a Citizen Cope/Ray LaMontagne feel happening, especially in Jordan Sokel’s vocal stylings. He kept to a falsetto quite a bit, bordered on some scatty sing-song styling like Mat Kearney, and frankly, killed it on guitar. Sokel played that acoustic like an electric, and rocked the harmonica at the same time. His playing was impressive, earning heavy cheers from a full crowd. Their tunes may be a bit of everything, but they’ve definitely got jams.
By the time Yamagata took the stage with her four-piece band, the room was almost uncomfortably packed. After a same-day change of set times that pushed the show an hour later than planned, the crowd was more than ready for the show. Yamagata kicked off the set with the rolicking “Money, Fame, Thunder” from her fourth full-length, Tightrope Walker, released just last month. In a black blazer, her dark mop of hair mostly covering her face, she started at the keys but switched between almost every song to standing at the front with her guitar.
The first thunderous track moves into a passionate “EZ Target” before breaking out the classic, “Be Be Your Love.” The track, one of her most well-known (yes, it was featured in The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants), ignited plenty of cell phones’ video screens and a good amount of singing along from the crowd. Yamagata’s trademark brand of emotionally wrenching ballads are both gritty and hopeful, spooky and wistful. And they pack a pretty serious punch. There’s a clear appreciation in the room, and people singing along even to the newer material, though at one point Yamagata pauses between tracks to say “I know you’re here for the sad stuff, we will not disappoint you.”
For anyone who appreciates a little darkness with the light, an emotional cliffhanger or two, Yamagata offers a live show worth every minute. She landed each track somewhere between a smirk and a smile, her raspy voice filling the room, the unique atmospheric arrangements and carefully crafted melodies piercing hearts.
Rachael Yamagata Set List
Money Fame Thunder
EZ Target
Be Be Your Love
Tightrope Walker
Dealbreaker
Worn Me Down
Over
Break Apart
Duet
Way It Seems To Go
Nobody
Encore
Black Sheep
Let me Be Your Girl
Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini
Rachael Yamagata
Pressing Strings
