Music Seen: The Dooryard, August 4, 2008
By SONYA TOMLINSON | August 5, 2008
A focused and slightly nervous one-man band, Cerf-Volantes opened a large bill at the Dooryard this past Monday evening. But it didn’t take long for sole member Andrew Frederick to get his footing back on stage after a two-year hiatus.
Looping and adding effects with two foot pedals, Frederick opened his set with a multi-layered guitar track that gradually unfolded into a lovely and atmospheric crescendo that then broke itself down the same way it built itself up.
After the show, Frederick told us that he was used to playing each guitar part separately and had discovered a way to get that full sound for a live show with those pedals just two days earlier. Hesitant with the new technique at first, he grew confident as the set progressed. From the crowd, you felt you were hearing the songs take shape in just the way he intended.
Transitioning from slow and sweet melodies reminiscent of Elliott Smith to playful and more forceful projections, Frederick’s vocal shifts were matched by impressive switches in guitar style, making for an unpredictable set that held the audience captive.
Waiting for his last song, “Me and the Wolf,” to show us all that he was made of, Frederick’s heart-tugging lyrics contradicted a pleasant riff as he began, “I live in a small world./It’s just me and the wolf./He says you better watch your back./I tell him there’s nothing he can do to make me feel afraid/’Cause I have lost what meant the most to me.” At its climax, those emotions were fully realized as Frederick broke into a three-part harmony, nearly screaming repeatedly, “Ready or not.” We’re ready for the full-length CD. Visit//www.myspace.com/flyingdeers.
Topics:
Live Reviews
, Sonya Tomlinson
, Elliott Smith
