Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
By James Harrison
Thursday night’s bill at the Orange Peel was nothing but two dudes and their guitars, and what an evening it was.
Openers don’t come much better than William Tyler, who silenced the crowd halfway through the first song in his set.
Tyler, a Nashville native and Merge Records signee, was incredible. His sound, which expands the boundaries of the instrument without ever crossing them, completely filled the room, floor to ceiling. With finger-picked notes darting over deep drones to create layers that evoked landscape, or even dialogue between musician and instrument, Tyler’s talent had the audience transfixed. Between songs, he commented on the roles geography and culture played in the shaping of his compositions, which included a song perhaps inspired by Asheville’s own Thomas Wolfe, titled “We Can’t Go Home Again.”
Tyler’s new EP “Lost Colony” comes out later this month, and will feature a full band. You can hear his first single, the sprawling, epic 13-minute “Whole New Dude” here.
By the time Tyler wrapped his set, the Peel had filled with fans eager to see Daniel Rossen (pictured above). As the guitarist and vocalist for Grizzly Bear, Rossen has been at the center of one of the biggest indie bands of the last several years, writing detailed, textured songs which have drawn wide acclaim from critics and artists across the music spectrum.
But Rossen wasn’t in Asheville to play Grizzly Bear songs. Instead, he opened with a new, “unnamed tune,” following with numbers from his excellent 2012 Silent Hour/Golden Mile EP. He also played a number of songs from the Department of Eagles catalogue, which were recognized by many audience members within the first strums. Many of the songs were being preformed live for the first time, on a 13-city tour which began in March and ends next week.
Borrowing a comment made by an Orange Peel sound tech earlier in the day, Rossen described his music as “wonderfully morose,” and proceeded to joke about his songs lulling the crowd to sleep. But stripped of the tone provided by a full band on his EP (which features Asheville’s own Eric Slick on drums), Rossen’s arrangements and vocal demanded full attention, and underscored the signature sound of his guitar playing.
