Brightblack Morning Light and The Espers at Talking Head

Last night, I went to a really nice show at the Talking Head. Called the Crystal Totem tour, I saw a few acts that are now being labelled "freak folk", but I don't really like the term.
Opening was a young, softspoken lady, Mariee Sioux. She played solo with acoustic guitar, and her voice was beautiful. I also enjoyed some of the poetic lyrics in her often lengthy songs. She seemed a little nervous, but once she started performing, it was really nice. I bought her cd.

Next up was local artist Daniel Higgs. When I first saw him, I was sleepy, so I don't recall much. I couldn't help think of Jethro Tull when he sang because he used some "olde english" phrasing. My favorite lyric: "Lucifer, the child bride Christ". He actually sang 2 songs about the devil and Christ. It was ok.

The Espers were on next. They were great. I really love the full sound with their larger lineup on their new record Espers II- a beautiful blending of the acoustic sound of guitars and cello with electric instruments including a keyboard. Very meditative.
I did find out that a lady I helped with a sprained ankle at a True Vine show a few months ago was Brooke, one of the guitarists for the band. She came up to me and thanked me for the help. That was nice.
Last up was Brightblack Morning Light, a group that took that meditative sound to even more mellow levels. I enjoyed their new album - it's got a slow groove with a lot of layers of vocals and instrumentation.
Unfortunately, it was about 1:30 am, and I was tired, so I decided to call it a night after they played three songs for fear of passing out.

The Espers- "Mansfield and Cyclops"
Brightback Morning Light- "Wildshiney Stars"