Show Review + Setlist: Delta Spirit and Ezra Furman and the Harpoons Thrill the Firebird, Monday, June 21

Liz Deichmann

Delta Spirit, last night at the Firebird

From the moment Delta Spirit lead singer Matthew Vasquez stepped on stage, sporting a Cheshire-cat grin from ear to ear, he was well on his way to charming an excited, surprisingly large Monday night crowd. He thanked everyone for coming, and then the five-piece immediately blazed into "Bushwick Blues," the single from its latest full-length, History From Below.

Delta Spirit is by now well-known for soulful Americana rock that's very much reminiscent of one-time tourmates Dr. Dog, although the band breaks new ground with its vast, lush soundscapes. In particular, "White Table" rings with tumultuous energy that's built from a more technically refined palette. What the band continues to do best, though, is burn through tight guitar parts, incite audience sing-a-longs and smatter it all with keyboard - or even a trashcan lid. "People, Turn Around" and "St. Francis" smartly combined all of these elements with the substance and fervor of a '60s protest song.

Most of the Delta Spirit's performance rests upon the simple fact that Vasquez is an honest-to-goodness entertainer. He tells just the right endearing antidotes before each song and then polishes it off with many thanks to the audience, before launching into a song with so much bodily force that you think he might not make it out alive. He even coaxed about 90% of the audience to the floor during a closing rendition of "Shout" just to make them break out into carefree dance at the end.

Ezra Furman & The Harpoons immediately brings to mind a youthful, rollicking Ryan Adams combined with the sharpness of Adam Green. The songwriting is colored with a quirky sense of humor commonly bestowed upon the young and artistic, making it enjoyable and suitable for the next big young-adult-indie film (hello, Juno). Songs such as "Take Off Your Sunglasses" certainly point out that these neighbors to the north are capable of turning out wandering, punk-inspired gems.

Openers the Romany Rye also hail from California and have a vested interest in reviving the sound of organ-filled, '70s-era, easy-rolling folk rock. There were most definitely some very long periods of "jamming" but for the most part it was the kind of good-natured tangents often heard during My Morning Jacket's anthems.

Delta Spirit's setlist: