So many tunes these days have taken simple music and arranged it in a new and exciting way. A mixture of synth, strings, beats… whatever it is. A lot of it is exciting; there are now bands and artists that are making music like we’ve never heard before. But sometimes we forget the beauty of pure simplicity. I was reminded of this last summer when I saw James Vincent McMorrow perform at the Mod Club. After his show, I realized how lucky I was to have been there. I was standing at the back with friends in the industry and I vividly remember it was completely black in the room, and looking towards the stage, all I could see was a simple man with only his guitar. Not the typical show I would expect to see at the Mod Club. James’ music is hauntingly beautiful. His songwriting takes you on a journey of love and life, and seeing it being performed live is nothing short of captivating.
Early August of last summer, I saw him perform at the Osheaga Music & Arts Festival in Montreal. This time, he had a band playing with him and it was just as beautiful as when I saw him play in Toronto. The energy of the music now felt fuller with drums, more strings and harmonies. James Vincent McMorrow is a dream; his music and songwriting is delivered with an incredibly unique and soft yet passionate voice that resonates with you. He recently announced that his second album, Post Tropical, will be released January 14th of 2014 and I’m very interested to see what his approach is with this one. If you want to experience the beautiful music of this man, make sure you get tickets to his show at The Great Hall in Toronto on November 16th. I can truly say, James Vincent McMorrow is an artist you must see live.