Junip @ Royale 11.2.10

While I had been to the Royale one previous time before Junip, I could safely say they were two very different experiences.  The first was Passion Pit: a packed, sweaty, jump around and scream along experience.

The experience with Junip Tuesday night is something I could only describe as intimate.  Instead of jumping and yelling, people stood relaxed and took in the music.  A select few trying to start a big push for dancing, but everyone was just way too content with the moment.  It was one of the few times I didn’t feel overly crowded at a concert.  I had my own swaying space, and it felt really nice.

Junip definitely brought a great mix of instruments to the stage.  They had two drummers: one who rocked a traditional drum set and one who played a pair of congas with a electric drum pad (as well as a beer bottle for one song).  Their sound was rounded out with a bass player as well as a keyboardist equipped with a Moog synthesizer.  Jose Gonzalez sat center stage with his guitar, which, to say the least, had seen a lot of playing time.  I loved the fact that it was held together with tape and converted from acoustic to acoustic electric.

Junip opened with Rope and Summit, one of the songs from their free EP that was also released on their full-length album, Fields.  The set overall had a real nice feel to it.  At times it was hard to tell whether their conga player looked bored or was just in the zone, but it didn’t distract from the sound as a whole.  I was also very impressed with the vocal levels.  The one problem I always have with concerts is never hearing vocals clearly, and they had it at perfect levels.

After a three-song encore, the night was over.  I was satisfied, but I would have loved if they played a few of Jose’s solo sings, either with Junip as a whole or with him by himself.  I would definitely see them again if I had the opportunity.