I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: April 27, 2018] Joseph

I saw Joseph on a video from the Newport Folk Festival a few years back and I loved the way the three sisters of the band sounded singing together.  The power of their voices and the harmonies they sang were just stunning.

Natalie, Meegan and Allison Closner are Joseph.  The band name, Joseph, is a real problem, at least if you are trying to find them on the internet.  (They are apparently named for their grandfather or their father or the town they are from or something).

I had put them on my list of bands I wanted to see, so I was pretty excited to see that they would be playing in Sellersville Theater.  But I had a weird experience by the tickets.  I first saw a notice about the show listing in January.  I immediately grabbed tickets up close.  And then all notice of the show seemed to vanish.  It wasn’t on the band’s website.  It wasn’t on the Sellersville theater website.  It wasn’t listed anywhere.  I kept checking to see if the show was cancelled, but there was no word at all.

And then about a month and a half later the show was officially announced again and my ticket was good.

I really like their album, but their music can be maddeningly poppy.  Sometimes it’s too much although I have grudgingly started to enjoy those moments too.

But it was their voices that I really wanted to experience live.

I also had no idea that the band was playing as the Joseph Trio, meaning just the three singers and no backing band.  This worked totally to my favor because I imagine the band accentuates thee poppier elements (based on nothing).  All I wanted was the voices.  And that’s what we got.

Natalie came out and stood on the right side of the stage.  She had a guitar and stompbox.  Her (younger) twin sisters Allison, on the left and Meegan, in the middle didn’t play anything, they simply sang.  And they sang beautifully.

I mentioned that Becca Mancari probably didn’t need a mic.  Well, these sisters didn’t need one either.  Their voices are powerful and amazing, whether harmonizing or not.  In fact in the first few songs I think Meegan might have been too loud with the microphone.

They played a whole bunch of songs. Possibly all of I’m Okay, No You’re Not, but I can;t find any setlist (or any review even) of the show.

They were very funny in their stories–teasing each other and having fun with the audience.  They had apparently eaten in the restaurant next door and had eavesdropped on a conversation with someone who was also in the theater.

But when they sang they were very serious (sometimes it was awkward watching them because they were clearly into it, but had nothing to do with their hands).

But just because they were serious about their music didn’t mean they couldn’t play around too.  After an early song Natalie broke a guitar string and had to play the “wrong” guitar for one of their songs.  There was some chuckling over that.

They told us that they were preparing for their new album and were happy to be out on the road in these more intimate shows.  They also played a number of new songs for us saying that they weren’t sure if they would appear on the new record or not–sometimes a newer song can kick the others out.  The new songs were great with some incredibly catchy moments and I’m sure we’ll hear them again.

There were several songs I really wanted to hear.  I love the song “Canyon,” both the catchy moments and the way their impossibly powerful voices meld on this part.

I also knew “I Don’t Mind” and the wonderful story that Meegan tells about it from a Tiny Desk Concert.  It was just as amazing.

I had read that Natalie originally tries to have a solo career but that she found that her sisters complimented her voice really well.  Given that I wonder if she minds when her sister Meegan takes lead on a number of songs, like “Wind.”  Allison doesn’t take lead on many songs, but she did on one of the new ones.

Near the end , Becca Mancari came out and sang a cover with them–the “four sisters” reunited at last.

And then they ended with the crowd-pleasing rousing anthem of “White Flag.”

It was a really enjoyable show.  Interestingly I had more or less decided not to go to Sellersville anymore.  It’s a wonderful venue, but it’s awkward to get to.  But I decided I’d make exceptions for certain bands.  Joseph was one of them.  Well, it turns out that since we have seen them they have scheduled  show at World Cafe Live and at White Eagle Hall, much more convenient venues for us.  Sometimes patience is a good thing.

Although I can;t hep but feel that the Sellersville show was more intimate and a bit more special.