Cary Brothers

Upon the mention of an indie concert featuring three up-and-coming popularly eccentric bands, a high-heeled dinner crowd under dim lighting isn’t exactly the first scene that pops into mind. Last Wednesday, however, Cary Brothers, with openers Mother Mother and Carina Round, certainly made the scene work. Although a few bright-eyed indie kids could be spotted in various clumps among SOhO’s dinner guests, it was apparent that many had no idea what they were getting into and, by the end of the show, realized they had gotten more than they bargained for.

As soon as the lead male singer of Mother Mother-a mostly blonde, eclectic mix of musicians hailing from Vancouver-opened his mouth to reveal a high-pitched, twangy voice that strayed from all preconceived expectations, the tone for the two unconventional-but-polished opening bands was set. With Mother Mother’s enjoyably spastic moments, and the curtsies and unbelievable high notes hit by Carina Round, they could do no wrong. Their sounds were refreshing and artistic; new, but not garish. And both sets left audience members wanting more.

When the lights dimmed for the third time and our Cokes had turned mostly to water, Brothers’s highly anticipated presence finally graced the stage. He immediately engaged his guitar in a somber slow dance that had the audience captivated by the strum of the first chord. Although Brothers was “discovered” when his song “Blue Eyes” was featured on 2004’s Garden State soundtrack, it soon became apparent that he is an artist who has much more to offer. (Especially when he admitted that the song had been written as a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift for an ex-girlfriend.)

As well as his musical prowess, Brothers also proved himself to be quite the comedian. In between wooing the crowd with vocally powerful songs like “Ride”-during which he spilled his emotional guts to such a point that the people in the audience nearly raised their dinner table tea lights like lighters above their heads-he also kept the place in stitches with his quirky humor and personal anecdotes. One such anecdote ended in Brothers divulging the fact that he was wearing Spiderman underpants.

But all underpants aside, audience members could agree it was one hell of a show.