Iron and Wine goes electric at Lupo's

11/19/08 - To say that Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel is the perfect venue for Iron and Wine is like saying that a church is the perfect place for a Metallica show.Frankly, it's just not an ideal fit, but this past Sunday the dimly lit nightclub in downtown Providence was the place to be as Sam Beam and company took the stage.

At roughly 8:11 p.m., Beam, a former professor of film at Miami International University of Art and Design, emerged from the depths of the backstage area along with his sister, Sarah Beam.

Giving a quick hello and immediately jumping into songs, the brother and sister combination played an endearing acoustic set that would be better suited for a small-town fair instead of an urban nightclub.

Singing hushed vocals together, accompanied by Sam Beam's gentle guitar playing, the two managed to create a setting reminiscent of a summertime twilight under the stars . meanwhile the sounds of drunken conversation and cash drawers were eminent in the background.

While the stage lights would change from purple to red, and red to blue, the tranquility of the acoustic songs stayed the same. It was the perfect atmosphere for couples -- my younger cousin Andrew muttered, "I wish Heather was here," as he swooned over his high school crush.

The two Beams performed several songs in the dreamlike atmosphere before the rest of the band was invited on stage. Iron and Wine's most recent release, The Shepherd's Dog featured a full band for the first time and transformed the sound of the one-time solo act.

In itself, the show would go through a sudden metamorphosis once the electric side of Iron and Wine was unleashed. Sam Beam would switch to electric guitar, while another guitar was added, along with bass, drums, piano and violin.

The differences between acoustic Iron and Wine and electric Iron and Wine were striking, but both were equally entertaining and dynamic. At the same time, the two sounds were so far away from each other that they could have been thought of as two completely separate acts.

The band would play sophisticated musical arrangements that layered sounds together and formed eccentric puzzle pieces of songs. Blended with the harder sound resulting from the electric instruments, the piano brought back the serenity of prototypical Iron and Wine songs.

Each instrument played an integral role in every song. Sometimes they seemed like a jam-band, and would zone in and out of instrumentals while transitioning into different songs.

Crowd members could be heard yelling, "Play something we know," but the need for something familiar wasn't necessary. The band played with an energy that seemed to be focused on transcending its one true hit single, "Such Great Heights."

While Sam and Sarah appeared for an encore, the crowd was sure to hear the song "Garden State" made famous as well as an M&M's commercial.

The first two chords of the song began and stopped as quickly as they started. Beam teased the crowd, moved into a lesser-known song and then ended the show, much to the chagrin of the crowd.

By evidence of a completely different sound with an exciting and new electric component, it's clear that Iron and Wine isn't sticking around to milk its past success. Instead, it is forging ahead into a more adventurous direction that looks to be limitless.