Did I say “enchanting”?

I also meant alluring, beguiling, bewitching, fascinating.  And simply scrumptious.

Thursday night found 300 gentle, well-behaved people, bellies bursting with delectable Cuban food and dank brew, utterly enraptured as J. Tillman and headliners, Band of Horses, play the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur, CA.

The weather was balmy and warm – it is our summer, after all; it rules! – and despite the voluminous number of people, the vibe was even more intimate than normal. Fleet Foxes dude J. Tillman opened up solo, and played a captivating set of epic, stark, and expansive tunes about loss and intrigue. American Gothic at its finest.  Heeeeere’s Jay:

At around 9ish, Band of Horses took the stage after a brief opening solo set by singer Ben Bridwell, and off they were, metaphorically galloping into the Big Sur night. I’d be lying if I told you I was super-familiar with them prior to the show. I wasn’t. That’s what reviews by guest bloggers who were at the show are for. (Ahem.)

But man. The harmonies sounded like the Beach Boys molesting Hal from 2001 while Seals and Croft stood by dithering. And by that, I mean the harmonies were precise, close, rich, and perfect-ish, almost to the point that I got scared. It didn’t hurt that their world-class sound system was humming along with a nifty light show.  Ooh, they played “A Song For You,” by Gram Parsons, which was awesome too.  Here they are!

So there you have it.  In a way, the show was somewhat like an appetizer to the upcoming buffet of amazing music passing through our gates: Dungen on the 26th, a spunky lil’ indie band from the beret-clad backstreets of Montreal, Arcade Fire (Oct. 5th), and certain Beach Boy (Al Jardine!) on Oct. 8th.  So save room for the main course and dessert, kiddies.  Don’t fill up on bread!

PS: Special thanks to Stan Russel for the killer pics and also, check some some more cool photos of the show via our pal Terry Way here.