Girlyman

Last night, I drove to Omaha to see a group that I've been a fan of for a few years but have never had the chance to see perform. They are a somewhat unusual group and therefore have a somewhat unusual name: Girlyman. The press (when they get any) often refers to them as a "modern day Peter, Paul and Mary," which is not too far off of the mark. I would describe them as modern folk music with a hint of bluegrass and pop mixed in.

I first discovered Girlyman when Salon.com featured one of their songs ("Viola", from their first album) along with a paragraph raving about Girlyman's tight harmonies and strong songwriting. I became mildly addicted to "Viola" and started buying other tracks from their "Remember Who I AM" album until I finally broke down and bought the whole thing. They've since released two more albums, both incredible.

Girlyman has something in common with Fleetwood Mac in that each group has three strong songwriters, two female and one male, and each songwriter sings lead on his or her own song. Also, like Fleetwood Mac, all three lead voices sound completely unlike the others, and yet the real magic happens when all three voices harmonize. The members of Girlyman are also impressive instrumentalists, and swapped out various guitars and mandolins throughout the performance.

The show was well worth the 2 hour drive, and the venue was perfect for this type of concert. With a cozy atmosphere, Mick's Music and Bar holds maybe 200 people. We grabbed a table near the front and felt like we were watching a Girlyman show in our living room. Here's a low-res picture we took with our cell phone.


All right...enough of my blabbering. You can't describe music in a blog post. Listen to "Hold It All At Bay" from their latest album, "Joyful Sign". This link is only good for a week, so if you visit too late, make sure you check out the sounds clips on Girlyman's web site.