REVIEW: Homesick Elephant @ Johnny Brenda's, December 28

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REVIEW: Homesick Elephant @ Johnny Brenda's, December 28

POSTED: Wednesday, December 29, 2010, 8:29 PM

Filed Under: Music | Concert Review | Philly Bands | Show | concert photos Last Night

Photo | John Vettese

Spin me a record, something with soul

Kevin Kelly and Sara FitzSimmons sang quite a bit about romantic mishaps, distance and heartbreak at Johnny Brenda's last night. But the biggest tragedy would be if folks walked away thinking they were just another She & Him-aping duo from L.A. It's understandable - cute girl with a pretty voice wears a sundress; guy next to her sports a fedora and suit vest, and strums an acoustic guitar; the two harmonize. And yeah, they're from L.A. Now. But they've been working that folksy soul charm for years, going back to Homesick Elephant's formidable days in Philly, doing open mics at The Fire circa 2007, as their other band Cheese on Bread wound down.

Photo | John Vettese

The JB's set was a sort of homecoming; the duo made the requisite jokes about how they hail from "Los Angeledelphia" and "we're not feeling so homesick right now." But their get-simple performance was what impressed the most. With just two microphones and a guitar, they struck the right blend of K Records and Sun Records, coming off sentimental, but sincere; comical, but convincing. Kelly proved nimble on the fretboard, fingerpicking most songs in studied folk patterns, while FitzSimmons's voice is a veritable instrument on its own, one that cooed with warmth and comfort but also required her to back away from the mic on the louder moments to keep the mix even. (Common practice for singers, yeah, but she does it remarkably well.) They sent out their song "Get On the Boat" to a friend in the audience who was stranded in Philly because of a flight cancellation, and played a winning cover of The Magnetic Fields' "All My Little Words." Their own words were clever puzzles of self conscious wit and timid introspection: "I'm quiet as a mouse, 'cept I don't even speak / and my car is makin' sounds, and the oil always leaks." If pressed to compare, I'd say it reminded me of Regina Spektor's first two albums, quirky and heartfelt, before she went all pop star. But it most certainly did not remind me of those other stars, Zooey and Matt, the doey-eye actress and the raspy hack. Homesick Elephant is more honest than they could ever hope to be.

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