The Decemberists and Sons and Daughters @ Ridglea Theatre

Tonight Amy and I headed out to the always exciting Ridglea Theatre to see a band that we had both recently become aware of over the past few months: The Decemberists.

Opening for The Decemberists were Sons and Daughters. Sons and Daughters hails from Glasgow Scotland and has a sound that can best be described as Folk-Punk with a liberal dash of Johnny Cash for good measure. Their set was rocking, yet folksy, and their scottish accents were charming yet somewhat indescipherable during some of the faster songs. They seemed like a perfect fit to tour with The Decemberists.

The Decemberists, from Portland, Oregon, have an interesting pop sound that makes extensive use of instrumentation such as accordians and on this album and tour, Petra Haden (formerly of that dog) on violin. The lead singer and song writer holds a degree in creative writing, which clearly comes through in the lyrics and structure of The Decemberists songs, which are more like short stories or old yarns set to music as opposed to rhyming words cobbled together into a repetitive pattern. Their set was upbeat and entertaining, including a rather comical encounter with a gigantic whale. Buy their CD and you'll understand, and you'll like it.