If you haven’t had the opportunity to acquaint yourself with the picturesque Gundlach Bundschu
The venue’s main stage is a cozy, dark, and ambient-lit renovated
Gundlach’s second stage features exquisite views of sprawling vineyard property. It is intimate but comfortably open and spacious for moving about during the show.
The opener, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat (ESMB), sauntered out anxiously, compensating with awkward stand up and 90s references. But the folks on the hill stood to attention when ESMB drilled forward at a fast pace into their avant garde post-punk set.
Morphine and Joy division crossed my mind, though I quickly found the band sinking deep into their own brand of indie art rock. The singer bellowed deeply — hollow and clear. His crooning and gesturing hinted at a thespian past. This supporting act was a perfect appetizer for Future Islands’ dark wave electro groans. A second listen is a must.
An appropriate break and the continued popping of corks made way for a darkened indigo stage. Future Islands seeped into the fogged blue mass. Clear and pulsing synth encompassed the whole venue. Samuel T. Herring’s warm groans cleared a commanding path to the front of the fogged stage. Every beat in line, the band tight and precise, propelled Herring’s body into motion, slinking and gyrating, a muse to the sound. Herring seems possessed by an invisible force, the way Joe Cocker was onstage back in the Mad Dog days. The North Carolina natives played a full set perfectly balanced with material from all their records.
Herring, sincere and engaging throughout, spoke of community, diversity, deep love and longing. Sweating, smoking, growling and grinding. The crowd howling for more.
