Thursday night, Henry Wolfe put on quite a show at Joe’s Pub. Henry, backed by an incredibly tight seven-piece band, played his new album ‘Linda Vista’ from start to finish, and he pulled out all the stops.
A grinning Henry swaggered through some of the standout tracks from the album (“Someone Else”, “Open the Door”), but it was his cover of Neil Young’s “For the Turnstiles” that nearly tore the roof off the place. His moody vocals, impressive solos from Henry’s bandmate Tyler Cash on piano, and some live horns took an already great version of the track from the album to a whole new level.
I found the sense of drama that Henry only hints at on the album to be the most exciting part of the show – the band’s dynamics, his vocal pacing, and the layers of sound they created were spot on all night.
It was a great week for Henry in New York, coming after his appearance on WNYC’s Soundcheck on Monday, and the creepy/cool video premiere for “Open the Door” on Mashable. He’ll be making his way back to LA soon for a June residency at the Bootleg Theater, and I can only imagine what tricks he’ll put out of his hat.
About David McTiernan
