CONCERTS: Hudson K, Matt Morelock

Concert review: Hudson K The Square Room – August 19, 2011 For a band consisting of only vocals, keyboards, and drums, Hudson K’s music does a surprisingly great job of encompassing The Square Room. Exhibiting a unique brand of progressive and often dark piano rock, Hudson K is led by the fierce onstage persona of frontwoman/keyboardist Christina Horn. The duo plays through material from their 2010 album Shine , including the title track, the eerie, waltz-timed “Oh Whiskey!” and “Fade”, a dark, energetic, hard rocking tune. Horn’s masterful keyboard playing is backed by the powerful, jazz-inflected drumming of Nate Barrett. Hudson K ends the night with a mind-warping, synth-drenched cover of My Brightest Diamond’s “Dragonfly”, wrapping up a set that is all too short but nonetheless fantastic. Overall rating: 9/10 Concert review: Matt Morelock Morelock Music – August 19, 2011 Local banjo wizard, store owner, and music teacher Matt Morelock has played in many local bands (The Bearded, Band of Humans, et al.). And yet, surprisingly, he has never played a solo show – until now. With his own store serving as the venue, Morelock tears through a set of bluegrass, Appalachian folk and square dance-inspired music, utilizing two banjos, a banjo-resonator guitar hybrid, a quirky percussion instrument called the “Porch Stomp”, and a strange device he calls “the three-pronged tritone Jew’s harp.” Many of the songs have stories behind them, leading Morelock to christen the set “Long Stories and Short Songs.” While he is occasionally joined onstage by fellow musicians Greg Horne, Bob Deck, and Phil Pollard, this is a truly impressive first solo show, making for a fun, foot-stompin’ evening of banjo-driven East Tennessee bluegrass. Overall rating: 8/10