Band of Horses - The Filling Station - Bozeman, Montana 11.17.07
Posted by Jes Tones on 11.30.2007
Sub Pop's latest indie powerhouse hits up tiny Montana venue for back to back shows...
I’d previously had somewhat lukewarm feelings about BOH—the first album was good, perhaps one of the best in 2006, but nothing that really made my head spin. But imagine my surprise when I heard that Sub Pop’s latest indie darlings were set to play my latest favorite local dive bar, the Filling Station, in sleepy little Bozeman, Montana. Afterall, I’d continued to track the NYC music scene since my recent departure and I was well aware that many of my friends had already purchased tickets to BOH’s sold out show at New York’s newest 3,000 person venue, Terminal 5.
In contrast, the Filling Station would probably get shut down by the fire marshal if it attempted to pack in more than 200 folks. I rushed out to purchase the band’s second album and a few tickets to this intimate show and was pleasantly surprised to find that Cease To Begin was surely an improvement on an already strong foundation.
I started passing around the new album and convincing folks to check out the show. It took a few weeks, but the tiny show did sell out and my new favorite record shop started a petition to move the show to a larger, all ages venue. Selfishly, I hoped this wouldn’t happen—how often does one get the chance to see such a great band this up close and personal?
Lucky for me, BOH held their ground—they had specifically requested my little dive bar and conceded only to adding a second, earlier show, which also sold out. After almost running over the band when I rolled into the parking lot and interrupted their smoke break behind the bar (no backstage at this joint), we grabbed some cheap beers and headed for the stage. Although there wasn’t a bad seat in the house (too small for that), my friend visiting me from NYC insisted we push our way to the front as vindication for the fact that he had to peer at them from the third floor balcony at Terminal 5 only weeks before. So there we stood, a whole foot away from the band as they rocked through tunes from both 2006’s Everything All The Time and this year’s Cease To Begin with incredible energy and sound.
While they did throw in a few of the more popular songs from last year’s record, the show was focused primarily on tunes from Cease To Begin, which was fine by me. Frontman Ben Bridwell climbed upon the tiny stage and immediately sat at his pedal steel guitar to open the show with “Is There A Ghost”—also the opener on Cease. The stage was so small we actually had to look for the keyboards, crammed into a corner to the right. But the audience cheered and swelled as the band paced through its rootsy, atmostpheric rock melodies.
In such an intimate space and with such a tight knit crowd it really felt like we were watching everyone’s favorite local band. And as a special treat, Tyler Ramsey, the band’s new guitar player, played a strong opening set with some of his folkier solo work that would’ve been a decent show in itself. He was followed by The Drones, an Australian band not really worth mentioning at this point.
As my friend said that night, “it all comes down to the man with the golden voice.” Everything just felt in place. Bridwell’s unique vocals—an instrument in themselves—were layered on top of the steel guitar, keyboards and electric guitar and absorbed by this tiny crowd in a way I’m not sure I’ve seen before. How lucky we were.
The 411: This is definitely a band to see if you have the chance. They have a few dates lined up in Atlanta at the end of December before embarking on a European tour. If you miss these dates, tack this band on your “to do” list upon their return.
