Last night The Walkmen’s Peter Matthew Bauer played an intimate showing at Gary’s Electric Studio in Brooklyn. The crowd consisted mainly of family and friends of Bauer’s, including former bandmate Hamilton Leithauser. The same went for his band, which included his friends as well as his wife Marisa Brown who helped out on vocals.
He ran through various tracks off his upcoming debut solo album Liberation!, which comes out June 24 via Mexican Summer. Bauer made the experience that much more intimate by giving us little anecdotes about each song before kicking into gear. This broke down the boundaries between him and the audience, putting us right there with us. Highlights included first single “Latin American Ficciones” as well as the somewhat Bruce Springsteen “Fortune Tellers”, and “Irish Wake in Varanasi” a track dedicated to his father’s friend Pete Devlin.
Bauer has a very strong handle on the whole frontman thing, and has comfortably slide into the position. Some of the material has some traces of the Walkmen’s influence (final track “You Are The Chapel” more than others), but it’s clear that this is his baby. I’m excited to hear the recorded versions of everything that he played last night, as they’re something quite honest and special.
Some more photos from the night are posted below.
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