Lucius/Cactus Blossoms in Concert at Mr. Small's Theatre in Pittsburgh

                                                                    Lucius/Cactus Blossoms
                                                Mr. Small's Theatre
                                                  October 27, 2016

                                                                  Review and pictures by Lisa Sikon

The Cactus Blossoms are a duo out of Minneapolis consisting of two brothers, Jack Torrey and Page Burkum. This band seems to have a time machine because they sound as if they play in the 1950's.

Their voices complement each other and it's a nice easy sound that they create. I'm not sure what songs are new and which are old. They have a new album out, 'You're Dreaming'. I picked one up and I have been listening to it. 'Stoplight Kisses' is by far my favorite song, I just feel like I'm in Texas on a hot summer day when I listen to that song. There is not a weak song on this album. Their performance on Thursday was very easy to listen to as they harmonize and play well together. The crowd was attentive, there were many couples in the audience just swaying along to the music. They played for about 45 minutes and were very comfortable on stage. There was not much interaction with the crowd, they went from one song to the next with very little conversation in between.

Lucius was the headliner and the packed crowd was there to listen to them. The band consists of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig on vocals, with Dan Molad on drums, Peter Lalish on guitar and vocals, and Andrew Burri on guitar and vocals. They are an indie pop rock band out of Brooklyn and have gotten quite a following since they formed in 2005. Most of their songs have complex lyrics and a melody

 that you just makes you want to dance. The crowd often sang along and many were swaying and dancing to the music. They came out with white capes on and started the show with the song 'Madness'. Their voices were in perfect harmony with each other and was flawless. At one point, they left the stage then appeared wearing black capes and sang 'Pulling Teeth' in the middle of the crowd. Definitely a show that has a lot of visual that complements the music. I found the music mesmerizing and their voices beautiful. The crowd was very diverse, with a mix of older and younger people as well as a few very young fans. On the encore, they played 'Wildewomen', one of my favorite songs. I truly enjoyed the show and thought that Mr. Small's was a perfect venue for this group.

https://www.facebook.com/thecactusblossoms/about/

http://www.thecactusblossoms.com/

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