Widowspeak at Georgia Theatre Rooftop, Athens (18 July 2015)

Tour Dates

Widowspeak is a Brooklyn,NY-based band formed in 2010 by Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas. The duo play dreamy, western-tinged shoegaze rock, taking influence from 1950s pop ballads and 1970s psychedelia. Molly has a lovely, lilting voice, ever so slightly raspy, with a breathiness that can lull the listener into a pleasant waking dream. Widowspeak has often been compared to Mazzy Star, and their sound is also somewhat reminiscent of The Cowboy Junkies, who had a 1988 hit with a cover of The Velvet Underground’s Sweet Jane. However, I have a feeling that Widowspeak will stand the test of time a lot better than either of those two acts.

The band is characterized by their layered guitar tracks and heavy use of effects pedals. One of the ways Robert achieves his unique guitar sound is with the Crybaby, a classic wah-wah pedal. This pedal has been in use since the 1960s and was popularized by such legendary guitarists as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour.

Widowspeak has been on the Brooklyn record label Captured Tracks since their inception. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2011.  Then came Almanac, released in 2012. The Swamps EP was released in 2013.

The band is currently touring in support of their latest album, All Yours, which will be released on September 4th.  Their album release party will begin on September 3rd and carry on into the wee hours of September 4^th. Rather than hosting this party at a traditional venue, it will take place on a boat called The Jewel. The party- dubbed “the Rocks Off cruise”- will begin at the Skyport Marina in Manhattan. It will follow the East River between Manhattan & Brooklyn, passing under the Williamsburg, Manhattan & Brooklyn bridges, and lap the Statue of Liberty a few times. In addition to a performance by Widowspeak, John Andrew and The Yawns will also play. Tickets are on sale now.

On the rooftop of the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Widowspeak started their set on a nostalgic note with In the Pines off their self-titled debut album, and moved on to Perennials from their sophomore album Almanac. Then they gave us a sneak peek at some new material with Narrows and Stoned, both from soon-to-be-released All Yours.

At one point during the show I had to go down to the sidewalk below to get something from my car. During this brief time, the band launched into its latest single, Girls. The song drifted down to me in a dreamy haze, and I realized they sounded even fuller and more ethereal from street level. Their music encompassed the entire block. I went back upstairs for the last few songs. The show concluded with Ballad of the Golden Hour from Almanac.

Recently I did some research into the shoegaze genre and how it got its name, and found that one of the reasons for the moniker is because band members must often gaze at the floor in order to operate the many effects pedals they use to create their unique sound. On this night, Widowspeak held true to the shoegaze genre- I counted 11 effects pedals onstage; Robert had 6 pedals for his guitar and Molly had 5 for hers.

Supporting Molly and Robert on their current tour are Willy Muse on bass and James Jano on drums. At many of the stops on this tour, Widowspeak will open for Lord Huron, and occasionally they will share the bill with other bands.