Story by Anna Smith
Photos by Will Kanellos
The October 18^th show at WOW Hall could hardly contain the energy produced by the three featured bands Lemolo, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, and the Head and the Heart.
Lemolo, made up of Meagan Grandall and Kendra Cox, began the night with a near full house. Thumping out an intense version of “On Again, Off Again,” Lemolo did not receive the usual first-opening-band treatment from the obviously engaged audience.
Growing up together in Washington, Grandall and Cox named their band after a street in their hometown of Poulsbo. “It’s a beautiful road that’s along the water, and I think we both have a lot of great memories there,” said Cox.
Grandall, the lithe vocalist, also plays keyboard and guitar between the pair. Cox, an obvious force of nature as a person and drummer, also plays the keyboard, sometimes simultaneously. “The longer we’ve worked together the more our songwriting is more and more collaborative,” Grandall explained. “Since it’s just the two of us we need to make sure we’re on the same page.” Their skill at this is apparent in the beautifully crafted songs the two produce. “Whale Song,” one of their most popular tracks, exposes Grandall’s vocals at their most ethereal, flowing over the Beach House-esque piano and softly strummed guitar.
Currently working on an album due tentatively in February, Lemolo is just a few years old but already seemed to have mastered the sweet heartache and wispy warmness of dream pop.
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down amped up the crowd with their ten-piece congregation, the petite Thao herself stomping around stage in cowboy boots. Thao sings freely about her own personal life and tribulations. “It’s autobiographical, mostly about the relationships in my life,” she said. “Not just romantic, but in general.” You wouldn’t know it, though, by hearing the excited, lyrical shouts, racing guitars and compelling drum beats. Influences of Mo-town, sixties pop, and old country are clearly evident in her marching beats, cooing, claps, and wonderfully brassy vocals.
Although her stage presence has a certain winning fierceness, her off-stage mannerisms are much more gently, speaking softly but with purpose. Outside of (or possibly very much aligned with) her musical exploits, Thao is also very devoted to social activism. “I do a lot of women’s rights advocacy,” she said. “I try to use my music to support causes that I’m aligned with.”
Thao included a beautiful rendition of “You Really Got a Hold on Me,” with Jon from the Head and the Heart, who came on shortly after Thao amid screams and claps.
The audience was finally seeing what they came here for, and they went wild. As soon as the sextet broke out into song, it became obvious why it was a sold out show.
To try and describe the beauty of the singular voices of the Head and the Heart may be conceivable, but the three harmonies of Jon Russell, Josiah Johnson, and Charity Thielen together creates a sound impossible to recount. That is exactly how the group of six was able to form and have already opened for such indie giants as Dr. Dog, Death Cab for Cutie, Iron and Wine in less than two years. “It was nuts how all the bands that we got to open for are bands that I’ve loved for years,” said Josiah Johnson, “and then you’re backstage with them, just hanging out.”
The band started in the summer of 2009 while Johnson was in grad school. The name of the band, Johnson said, emanated from that time. Whether to go with what made the most sense (school, steady job, and income) or to go with what he loved most (music) was a choice that became more of a battle. Johnson chose music, and exemplified the struggle that we all have with the Head and the Heart.
Johnson and Russell began together as songwriters, playing at open mics and with friends. Eventually they found keyboardist Kenny Hensley, vocalist and violinist Charity Thielen, drummer Tyler Williams, and bassist Chris Zasche. “It was a lot of chance meetings over the next year before we had a band,” said Johnson. “By the time we had all the people we felt right, we had all the songs for the album.” These fateful meetings have brought a unique sound of all influences and backgrounds. In Hensley’s keys you can hear Beatles pop, Williams loves the National’s drums, and Johnson’s voice recalls an older era of his parent’s music collection.
Johnson describes their quick rise as the result of word-of-mouth. “It’s been a lot of people telling people, people telling their friends after seeing live shows,” he explained. “There’s something in the way that people relate to the songs that’s bigger than just enjoying the music in a casual way.” I could see this in the way the audience reacted to “Seat Beside Me,” and the girl standing next to me crying.
My advice is to check out the Head and the Heart to fully understand the depths that they might reach in you. Their advice is simple: don’t follow your head. Follow your heart.

Gallery • 3 Photos

The Head And The Heart Rocks Sold Out WOW Hall