Acoustic Sessions at The Sunset Marquis
Producer’s Note:
As I sat on stage strumming my guitar and singing songs whose lyrics have been forever etched in my mind, I couldn’t help but think what a stunning setting The Sunset Marquis provides to both the artist and the audience alike. And in a twist of fate, I was able to partake in both points of view on this enchanting evening. After a nearly mistake free set by yours truly, I had the pleasure of watching and listening to my new friends Thorry and Isaac, better known as The Kin, as they took the crowd through a captivating set of acoustic songs.
At first glance these Australian-born brothers were as charismatic as they come. Thorry struck me as a morph of Sting and George Michael with his blond hair, chiseled features and gruff facial stubble. While Isaac was 500 protein shakes and a pony tail away from being the lead in Thunder From Down Under. All looks aside, I was curious what they had to bring to the stage, because frankly I spend most of the show with my eyes diverted and my ears wide open. A 1969 Gibson Hummingbird acoustic with a sound hole pickup was the instrument of choice, run through a group of pedals that gave it the sound of a sweet but raunchy hollow body. Right out of the gate the guitar punched through the din of the crowd and Thorry’s voice soared as if he were channeling Freddie Mercury live at Wembley Stadium. The presence was so large that all in attendance were instantly silenced of their trivial banter and sucked in to the passion emanating from the stage.
“Who’s driving this car?” wailed Thorry as if to say “Hey, I’m here, singing my guts out…so pay attention”. Clearly, he was driving the figurative car for the evening. After three songs on stage, Thorry looked at Isaac and said “Let’s go”, and in response Isaac quizzically replied, “Already?” Obviously Thorry sought to connect on an even more intimate level with the audience, because the brothers then left the relative safety of the stage and began to play smack dab in the middle of the audience in a truly acoustic fashion. The silence was deafening, and no one dared be the jackass who destroyed the most intoxicating and intimate moment the Villa Pool has ever seen or heard.
Thorry pounded on his guitar and strummed as loud as he could, while Isaac made eye contact with just about everyone, giving us all the feeling that we were witnessing greatness. Their harmonies filled the air with effortless grace and every so often they would sing in unison, which carried a timbre that proved they were indeed, kin. After two storied songs in this makeshift theatre-in-the-round, the brothers climbed back on stage and decided to play some etherial piano through the Nord Electro. It was Isaac’s turn to take the helm it seemed, as his tidbits between songs guided us through the remainder of the set with confidence, clarity and precision. He spoke of the living conditions that brought about the uplifting “Waking Up Shining”, and of their dear Grandmother who encouraged them to find out “Who Has The Diamonds?” Had she only been there, she would have realized that her own kin were “holding the diamonds” all along.
- Evan Brau
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