On Thursday, April 18th, an unseasonably cold spring night in NYC, Humbird pulled into town to deliver an hour-long set of their experimental indie-folk tunes at Groove in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.
Fresh off of their tour with Indigo De Souza, Siri Undlin (guitar/vocals), with support from Pat Keen (bass, synth) and Nate LeBrun (drums and percussion), had the almost sold-out house engaged throughout their show. Opening with “Pharmakon,” the trio set the tone early for lightly buzzing, adventurous folk-rock as synths augmented the strums and soft drums.
The Minneapolis-based trio brought the midwest to the big city with “Cornfields and Roadkill” as Keen deployed a mid-song pedal-laden bass solo. While Undlin would mention Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan as inspirations later in the set, her tunes felt significantly influenced by Neil Young in the sense that they followed their muse, sometimes playing pretty or getting oddly noisy as Undlin and company weaved their quirky path forward.
“Child of Violence” had a light funk groove working as wah-wah pedals colored the sound, while “Right On” showed gorgeous harmonies between Undlin and Keen. Undlin then mentioned being inspired by Sinead O’Connor and delivered her experimental version of “I Am Stretched On Your Grave” as the sounds warbled in support.
“May” highlighted Undlin’s fluttering vocals before the quick, twangy country rocker “Blueberry Bog” scooted across the stage. Just a few doors down from where Dylan first made his mark in NYC, Undlin sang her retort song to the bard with “North Country Girl” which she explained was about choosing to stay in your hometown as more harmonies flowed out.
“Fast Food”, written about going insane after overeating Taco Bell, also recalled a Neil Young country rock-inspired vibe. At the same time, set closer “Song For The Seeds” used a slow marching percussive build before allowing Undlin’s vocals to soar, wrapping up the short set with a plea for peace worldwide.
Unique and passionate, Humbird’s live set in the Big Apple was a success on this night as the Minneapolis trio delivered their brand of midwestern folk/pop/experimental/Americana with feeling.
