In December, The Ballroom Thieves collected Boston Music Awards for Folk Artist of the Year, Americana Artist of the Year, and Live Artist of the Year. We can debate if they really belong in the folk or Americana genres, but we cannot debate whether or not they put on a great live show. At Port City Music Hall on Thursday night, they had the audience captivated, performing in hushed whispers and cathartic screams.

The Suitcase Junket opened the show and he was mesmerizing. If you haven’t yet seen him, put it on your list for this year. Matt Lorenz, who performs alongside a collection of found instruments (babyshoe, gascan) as The Suitcase Junket, is a force. From the first notes of “Earth Apple,” crooning into the pickup of his reclaimed-from-a-dumpster, formerly moldy guitar, Lorenz had the crowd at Port City transfixed. It is not the unique nature of his instruments that is so interesting though; it’s that he is able to shift from grungy, heavy, blues-based rhythm guitar to subtle, gorgeous finger-picking that is just so pure in tone; it’s that his singing is phenomenal (and I’m not talking about his throat-singing, which is it’s own amazing thing); it’s that he is fully present and committed to each song. The Newport lists has started to roll out this year, and I very much want The Suitcase Junket to be there this year–he deserves that audience and they would love him.

Speaking of Newport, the only time I’ve “seen” The Ballroom Thieves before was at last year’s festival, when they were not on the official lineup but played a set in the recesses of the fort. I couldn’t get into the space, which accommodated about fifty people, but heard most of the set while enjoying a moment in some shade. Because of that experience, which was all acoustic, it was somewhat surprising to me how heavy this band is live. Driven in large part by Calin Peters’s cello, the Thieves achieve a dark, foreboding tone that owes as much to punk and metal as it does to Americana. After the opening song, “Canary,” which is slow and meditative, and shows off the band’s harmonies, the set clipped at a steady breakneck speed. Martin Earley’s ability to both deliver a heartfelt, understated lyric–as he did when he performed “Bees” alone last night–and to scream from the gut is truly incredible. There aren’t many people who can do both of those things so well (and it’s usually the scream that comes off as a little unconvincing).

The Thieves have a great following in Maine, giving the Maine Youth Orchestra the chance to perform alongside them last year, and having forged a strong connection with local holler-folk heroes The Ghost of Paul Revere. Earley, Peters, and drummer Devin Mauch all have gorgeous voices, and their harmonies make their sound swell and expand and contract like murmurations. Because most of the set was driving and heavy (highlights were “Noble Rot,” “Archers,” and “Wolf”), the crowd had a little trouble quieting down for the softer, more subtle songs. The exception to that anciness was during “Bury Me Smiling,” during the encore, where Calin just slayed the vocal and everyone had to shut up because it was just too beautiful. They ended with “Anybody Else,” which is probably their poppiest song, and, according to Devin is “the only love song,” in the Thieves’ catalogue. Nothing wrong with a good pop song, and it was an awesome way to end the night, with people dancing and singing their hearts out.

 
The Thieves are playing two night at The Sinclair (2/3 and 2/4). Honeysuckle opens Friday and The Suitcase Junket is back at it on Saturday. The shows are sold out, but you should probably saunter on over to Church Street and see if people have an extra. It’ll be worth your time.

photo courtesy of artist Facebook