On Wednesday night, Austin-based singer songwriter Molly Burch returned to Atlanta at 529. Joined on the road by RF Shannon, Molly Burch is touring behind her just released new 7″, Ballads (August 2nd via Captured Tracks).
Local support kicking off the night was a relative newcomer to the Atlanta scene, Nadia Marie. Nadia Marie and her 5 piece band, including at least two new members added a few days before the show, had no shortage of support in the room for their set. You could quickly see why there is excitement leading up to her debut EP, Weekday Weekend, set for release August 23rd. On the two singles released so far, recorded in her bedroom, Nadia Marie shows off her brand of off kilter, danceable bedroom pop. Live with a full band, Nadia Marie’s songs really came alive, showing off the full breadth of her songs. You sure wouldn’t know that the band hadn’t been playing together long. Of course though, Nadia Marie was the star of the show, leaving every bit of emotion on the stage as she bounced around with hair flying everywhere. It was an energetic opening set that showed off a band with plenty of potential, someone to watch and listen for.
RF Shannon, another Austin, Texas-based artist joined Molly Burch on the East Coast leg of this tour, with Atlanta being their last night together. RF Shannon is led by songwriter Shane Renfro, surrounded with a talented cast of musicians in his five piece band. They just released their third full length album Rain On Dust (August 2nd), their first album with Austin-based indie label Keeled Scales. (Side note: if you aren’t familiar with Keeled Scales they nail it with every artist they work with including Twain, Buck Meek, Julia Lucille, Jordan Moser, Jo Schornikow, Sun June and more). RF Shannon is just another stellar addition to their roster, releasing a gorgeous new album of Cosmic Americana, one of our favorites of the year so far. Live, RF Shannon was perfection with Luke Dawson’s pedal steel guitar accenting the emotions of the songs throughout the night. You could say that RF Shannon is equal parts Country, Indie Rock, Americana, Psych, Western, and plenty Texas, leaving them hard to nail down exactly, but certainly one of the most exciting cosmic country bands to come around in a while. This is a band clearly on the rise, and their live set only furthered that notion.
Molly Burch on the other hand, has been a star on the rise since first releasing her debut album Please Be Mine in 2017 with Captured Tracks, and critically acclaimed 2018 follow up First Flower. Burch, who’s vocals have been compared to everyone from Judy Garland and Loretta Young to Angel Olsen, might be seen on first inspection to fit well into the folk singer songwriter genre, though she also crosses into the pop territory also, especially if you listen to the two new songs on the 7″ Ballads. The new songs were leftovers that didn’t quite fit on First Flower, though they may just be some of her most stunning songs yet, which says a lot. This is all to say that Molly Burch may at first seem like an almost odd fit on the roster of the great indie label Captured Tracks that has included artists such as Mac DeMarco, Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils, DIIV, and more.
Seeing Molly Burch and her five piece band live, you get the full experience though where you can quickly spot how see fits in with her indie rock labelmates just as well as she does with Americana artists like RF Shannon. Molly’s guitarist was bringing riffs all night long that your favorite post punk band would dig, all while Molly Burch showed off her heart wrenching songwriting and intoxicating vocals. Molly Burch and the band put every ounce into the songs, while the packed out crowd scooped up the emotions and grooved and swayed along to every song. Truthfully, I’m not even sure Molly Burch realizes just how good she is, but maybe that’s the introvert in her that shows through at times, lending a bit of sweetness to it all which matches the songs. But I’ll tell you what, Molly Burch’s set was absolutely euphoric, a release of emotions led by those beautifully smoky vocals that spreads throughout the room. Their set was stunning, one of those sets you just don’t want to end. Either way, I’m not sure my words can convey just how good her set was.
Finally though, the show had to end with a fitting ovation, finishing a set full of oohhs and aahhs that were shouted out throughout her performance. Another great night at 529 in East Atlanta, brought to us by Irrelevant Music. Can’t wait to catch all of these artists live again soon.
Check out photos from the show by Mike Gerry below:
NADIA MARIE
RF SHANNON
MOLLY BURCH
MOLLY BURCH ONLINE:
WEBSITE // FACEBOOK // INSTAGRAM // TWITTER
UPCOMING MOLLY BURCH TOUR DATES
08/20 – Taos, NM – Taos Mesa Brewing ^
08/22 – Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole ^
08/23 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar ^
08/24 – Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Theater ^
08/25 – San Francisco, CA – Cafe Du Nord ^
08/27 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios ^
08/28 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern ^
08/30 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court ^
09/01 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall ^
09/07 – Austin, TX – Barracuda #
^ with Jackie Cohen
# with Christelle Bofale and Sleep Good
