Have you ever been in love? On an island? Near the beach? Riding a horse? While wearing spurs and dual six-shooters? And they didn’t love you back? Love sick cowboy on desert island. That sums up the general feeling at last weekend’s The Elected show at Chicago music hall Schubas.
While there’s no doubt whatsoever the crowd was getting off to it, the eclectic combination of steel drum, ukulele, djembe, lap steel guitar, violin, keys and bass kept me guessing what kind of show I was at. Is it a beach jam band or an alternative country band? Perhaps a little of both. Many who were in the crowd sang along while front man and Rilo Kiley member Blake Sennett belted out the lyrics in a quasi Bono fashion. Mouth open wide and hair continually tossed back, Sennett (who wrote and recorded most of their upcoming third release ‘Bury Me In My Rings’ himself) drew on the continual vowels like a never-ending canvas. If you’re looking for something easy going and a little bit of well, everything, then The Elected might be for you.
