I was lucky enough to see Elephant Revival with special guests, Smokey & The Mirror on April 4 at the Old Rock House in St. Louis, MO.
I've seen numerous husband and wife duos in my time, especially in the folk scene. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this duo. Bernice and Bryan Hembree have so much chemistry and musical talent it's ridiculous. It's the perfect complement of a female and male vocal. She has the soothing, higher pitched voice and his, is that of a weary traveler. His vocals really nail that americana, folky, "I've been traveling this long road for a while" style voice. Much of their music made me imagine days of the past, when people still got around by horseback. Not entirely like an old west image, but just that weary traveler, wherever he is roaming. Their set was solid and just really, really good!
Elephant Revival needs no explanation. Their following is continually growing more and more. The first time I saw this wonderful band, was at the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion in Bristol, TN/VA. I was photographing the festival and just heard this amazing female vocalist. I had never heard a voice like this and had to track them down. I found them and was just mesmerized. They truly are an amazing band. The chemistry these five share is unprecedented. The band is made up of Sage Cook, Bridget Law, Bonnie Paine, Daniel Rodriguez and Dango Rose. Each share in singing and writing songs. Which makes it even more better to be a fan of the music. You can see them play off of each other and it just works. On this night in St. Louis, I was surprised to see how much better they were than the last time I saw them in Bristol. I mean, holy smokes, these musicians are extremely tight. The best description would be, they just mesh together. All their sound intertwine with one another and produce this beautiful sound. It's haunting, it's exciting, it's just absolutely beautiful. I'm still torn on what genre you'd put them in. There are hints of alt-country, folk, rock and this crazy vibe of gypsies. If you were lucky enough to see them this past time at the Old Rock House, you realize how great this show was. If you missed it, I really hope you can catch them next time. This is the band you don't want to miss. Even if you don't like any of those genres I just mentioned, their music will entrap you and make you feel at ease with yourself and the world surrounding you.