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Hot on the heels of Slowdive/Mojave 3 leader Halstead’s lovely third solo LP, Palindrome Hunches, came these two opportunities to see him live, his first NYC shows in two years. To make the shows even more enticing, he enlisted two members from Bucks County, PA’s countryish-folk Honeychurch, golden-voiced singer Larissa Hopwood and keyboardist Alex Yaker, as well as a bass player, John Heggie, to back him on half of the songs. (Hopwood’s no stranger to Halstead’s music, having capably filled in for irreplaceable missing vocalist Rachel Goswell at Mojave 3’s 2006 Bowery Ballroom show.)
The Rockwood show was originally to be at the newly renovated Slipper Room burlesque (seriously?!?) club, but was moved at the last minute. Because of the rescheduling, Halstead was allotted only 45 minutes, so he played a shorter than normal set. Like Honeychurch’s own show here last February, Rockwood’s crystal clear sound and pin-drop quiet ambience was ideal for Halstead’s tranquil music. The eleven-song set consisted primarily of Palindrome Hunches tunes interspersed with Mojave 3 numbers like “Yer Feet” and “Who Do You Love?,” which Halstead played by himself (he also made an attempt at “Most Days,” but gave up after a few tries). And when Hopwood melded her pipes with Halstead’s for new LP beauties “Full Moon Rising” and “Wittgenstein’s Arm,” and especially Mojave killers “In Love with a View” and show-closing “My Life in Art,” the goosebump quotient rose tenfold.
As good as the Rockwood show was, the next night at Brooklyn’s Union Hall was even better. Because Halstead was the scheduled headliner, he played a much longer set – specifically, 63.6% more songs than the previous night! (Sorry, my market research background sometimes seeps into my music writing.) As well, the basement club’s sound was louder and fuller, and Halstead’s guitar resonated more, which helped drown out some of the chattier weekend barflies. The expanded set list allowed him to break out more acoustic numbers from his first two solo LPs, like “Elevenses,” “Two Stones in My Pocket,” and “Hi-Lo and Inbetween.” And while she struggled early on hearing Halstead’s vocals in her monitor, Hopwood again shined. Her soft coo enhanced Palindrome tunes “Digging Shelters,” “Bad Drugs and Minor Chords,” and “Spin the Bottle,” and Mojave 3 sparklers “Sarah” and “Prayer for the Paranoid.”
Amidst rumors of a possible Slowdive reunion, Halstead dusted off his old band’s 1993 Souvlaki classic “Alison” for the encore, before the band came on to close the show in fine fashion with “Full Moon Rising.” We’ll keep our fingers crossed for that reunion, but as these shows proved, Halstead on his own is equally worth making the trek from New Jersey to NYC on two successive nights to see.
