Last night, The Alchemy in Providence played host to an evening of indie-emo mastery courtesy of Mike Kinsella. Known for his work under the moniker Owen, Kinsella graced the stage in celebration of his latest release, “The Falls of Sioux”, and proceeded to deliver a performance that, despite a guitar that would not stay in tune, was nothing short of exceptional.
Opening with tracks from “The King of Whys” and “At Home With Owen”, the audience was immediately treated to something familiar, while “Mount Cleverest” kicked off the first of the new tracks performed off Kinsella’s latest album, which was released on April 26th. All in all, the night’s setlist consisted of 13 songs, spanning much of his career and reaching as far back as 2004, with significant track 3’s “Playing Possum for a Peek” (track 3 on I Do Perceive) and “Breaking Away” (track 3 on the EP) hitting that nostalgia button . “Home Is Where the Haunt Is” by his band, American Football, was woven in for good measure. Oh, and “Lost” really does have the coolest chord ever.
Kinsella’s performance lies not only in his musical talent but also in his ability to create a genuine connection with his audience, a special group of folks who are all too happy to hear really sad songs. But the night was fun. Between songs, Kinsella shared frustration over his guitar (truly the theme of the evening), remarking he’d had it “a week too long” when asked how long he’d had it. He mentioned at least three times that he’s “almost 50”, which reminded me that I’m almost 40, bringing up some big feelings. But hey, that’s emo for you, and emo isn’t dead, and neither are we. Kinsella also talked about heading to Las Vegas for the Best Friends Forever festival and joked with an audience member that she could dump her boyfriend if he made her go with him. I really want to go.
As the evening came to a close, with final songs being played on a newly obtained guitar (honestly, I missed how this happened), there was a palpable sense of gratitude and connection, like the entire club took a collective deep breath and exhaled peacefully for just over an hour. The vibe cannot be beat. So, if you’ve been stuck in your head for too many Mondays and could use some fresh air and maybe some sleep, an Owen show will do you just fine.