Sporting some skinny jeans from the Gap, the front man belts out cliché lyrics and gyrates his hips. Insert a few lifted guitar riffs and bad covers. Stairway, anyone? The drunken girl next to you spills her warm beer on your brand new shoes. And the man old enough to be your dad is dancing a little too close.
They didn’t keep the sketchy men away, but Pat McGee, Josh Kelley and the Kin managed to deliver something better than the the typical rock concert at the Paradise this weekend. Picture: a three-piece suit, cowboy boots and a didgeridoo.
Australian brothers Isaac and Thorry Koren of The Kin performed with a passion rare to the music scene. They’re not stereotypical lovesick-puppies, whining about ex-girlfriends. Instead, they embody Aristotle and Plato contemplating the deeper meaning of life and the experience of being human. Imagine the mystery and wisdom of Cien años de soledad accompanied by entrancing beats on a djembe – an African drum played sans sticks. When was the last time you heard a song about the biblical tale of Abraham? And with a didgeridoo.
A little farther north from Down Under, Josh Kelley stepped out of Georgia and into the Paradise. But from his pianist’s cowboy boots to Kelley’s soulful crooning, there was no cheesy country music to be found. Instead, Kelley infused 1920s-esque scatting with some down-home blues.
The title track to his upcoming album, Special Company, blended his made-for-gospel vocals with a funky beat. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” Kelley said in a phone interview. And he wasn’t far off: his title track strays from the pop world into a soulful, funky blend.
And then, there was the three-piece suit. The Pat McGee Band belted out lyrics and riffs reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughn.
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