The Beaten Sea and The Fox and the Bird at Lochrann’s

I knew I had to be there early; First because I anticipated a ridiculous crowd, and second because I had been looking forward to some of that Lochrann’s Fish’N'Chips action for almost as long and exactly as intensely as I had been anticipating this show. I walked in around 8:15pm and immediately wondered if there would be a table; It was packed already. After some help from the friendly staff, I was able to pull a table from the backroom and present myself as a living, breathing fire hazard. But I didn’t care. I had my sights set on Fish and Folk.

And that’s exactly what I got.

The Beaten Sea went on first in this full-on Dallas Family Band Frisco takeover. Their blend of traditional bluegrass, country and jazz, though apparently controversial to some, speaks right to the listener. Whether you grew up ‘illegally hopping trains’ and mugging hobos for spare change, or you grew up in the easy-life, no-pain, everything-tastes-like-rainbows-and-cupcakes suburbs like me, their music has this uncanny ability to relate. And on Thursday night, they were in top form. In other words, buy their album, which has found its way onto at least 2300 local ‘best of 2010′ lists.

Then came Fox and the Bird. It didn’t take a full song for the room to be transformed into a space that was simultaneously neutral and terribly biased toward all things true-folk. The way these brilliant musicians trade off instruments (and the lead) is testament not only to their talent, but to their chemistry as a family. Anyone who has the opportunity to see them should do whatever it takes, including but not limited to: ‘illegal train-hopping’, mugging hobos for spare change, walking – to be there.  Sadly, I was unable to record any video of F&B’s show because of the sweet couple that decided to stand right in front of my table in the incredibly, dangerously full room. At one point, I’m pretty sure there was even a folk-mosh pit.. A.. Fosh..? Pit? I guess its good though; The lack of video will just add to the anticipation of the nearly-finished album due out sometime this Spring.

You have to love a venue, stuck in the middle of cougartown, that brings in such great shows that they are single-handedly changing the face of live music in Frisco. And when you visit, swing on by and say hey; I’m sure I’ll be the one sitting at the obnoxiously-placed table in the middle of the room, moving so much to the music that you feel sorry for the chair.