Towards the end of their phenomenal set at Haw River Ballroom last Saturday, Hiss Golden Messenger frontman MC Taylor said, “You know, this is the first time many of these songs have been played live,” and the crowd roared. Most of the set list was drawn from Jump For Joy (Merge Records), which came out August 25. If you just watched the audience, though, you wouldn’t have known these songs were making their debut. People were singing along; they were visibly excited to hear their new favorite songs. 

After leading off with “Biloxi,” from the album Heart Like A Levee, the band launched into “I Saw The New Day in the World,” from the new record, and then shifted back to “I’ve Got a Name for The Newborn Child,” one of my favorites from Haw. “Newborn Child” drifted into a cover of Waylon Jennings’s “Lonesome On’ry and Mean,” showcasing Sam Fribush’s seemingly effortless piano playing. You can hear that he’s spent time in New Orleans when he plays–that ease, that exuberance and edge that you can find day and night on Frenchman Street.

I thought that’s how the show was going to be: new songs nested in-between their older cousins. But instead, most of the rest of the show was new. It was glorious. The energy on these songs was so strong. “Feeling Eternal” was a highlight, with such excellent tension and release. 

I think the recent continuity in personnel made it possible to pull off a set with almost all new songs. In a recent interview, Hiss Golden Messenger was described as “MC Taylor and whoever he’s playing with.” And while that certainly used to be true, this iteration of Hiss Golden Messenger, with Alex Bingham (bass), Chris Boerner (guitar), Nick Falk (drums), and Sam Fribush (piano, organ) has been together for the past couple of years. That steadiness creates a sense of trust and shared knowledge of the songs, and even though MC Taylor remarked after the show that he kept looking at the set list, thinking, “Another new one? Who wrote this set list?” it was a wonderful way to experience the new songs. 

William Tyler, a long time friend and collaborator with Hiss Golden Messenger, opened the show. I have been wanting to see Tyler for a very long time and he and his band, The Impossible Truth, lived up to every expectation. One of the things I loved about watching this band was how intently they listen to each other. Tyler’s songs transition and meander across soundscapes and I could see them smile at each other as they found new nuggets along the road. I cannot recommend his albums enough–they are full of beautiful explorations of melody that have made me a more attentive music listener. 

At the end of the set, Tyler joined the band for two songs–“Mahogany Dread” and “Saturday’s Song”–from Lateness Of Dancers, which Tyler played guitar on in the studio. I remember years ago seeing a tweet from someone who said that while they like the lyrics on “Mahogany Dread,” they basically listen to it to hear the outro–MC Taylor replied to the tweet, saying “Me too.” And, whew, that outro alone was worth the ticket. It was so fun to see Tyler and Boerner trading parts on both songs–with the whole band just grinning and laughing at the way they built the songs together. 

Earlier in the night, at the end of “My Old Friends,” there was an impromptu sing along. As MC Taylor sang, “It’s something to believe in,” over and over, the crowd joined in. As I looked around, I very much felt that I was experiencing something to believe in. The community developed at Haw River Ballroom. The creativity and spirit of a band and audience. And so much joy. 

Hiss Golden Messenger is heading to Australia next week, and then embarks on a US tour, beginning October 19. Get out to these shows–they’re only going to get better. 

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