Jose Gonzalez Is Low-Key Good

Saturday night at The Phoenix was filled with incense, bongo drums and other things meant to lull you to sleep instead of keep you up all night. In fact, that was probably a good thing, since a show that starts promptly at 6:30 p.m. and ends exactly two hours later wouldn't help you stay awake no matter who was playing. No folks, this wasn't a recreation of a hippie sit-in, although it did give off that kind of vibe, complete with acoustic guitars and bare feet. It was actually a Jose Gonzalez concert, so mellowness was to be expected in some form.

But before the man of the hour — and he did play for exactly one hour — could hit the stage, Californian Mia Doi Todd graced the crowd with her classically trained voice. The former Yale student looked every part the bohemian musician she is, wearing a long flowing skirt to match her hairstyle, and her songs were just as free-flowing as her appearance. I couldn't really tell you when one stopped and another started, but the songs she sang were about as soothing as they can get. Strums on an acoustic guitar accompanied by a guy playing bongo drums with brushes every once in a while doesn't make for a rowdy show, but Todd and her counterpart were two very talented people, nonetheless. If you want some easy listening, they're definitely worth checking out.

A short 20 minutes or so later, a very unassuming looking Gonzalez walked onto the stage alone, sat down, said hello, and started playing the acoustic songs for which everyone in the room had been waiting. I've never heard a hush fall over a crowd like this before, and it was particularly evident when I realized the only other thing I could hear standing close to the front of the stage besides the music was the sound of change being handed to people at the back bar. After three songs solo, the two other people in Gonzalez's band joined him to help out with backing vocals, keys, a melodica and a cowbell. It made for a fuller sounding set, and the Swedish-born Argentinean's voice was as smooth as ever. He didn't disappoint, either, playing everyone's favourites, like "How Low," "Crosses" and "In Our Nature." It might have been an early night for everyone involved (even the encore only took his set to 8:30 p.m.), but that doesn't mean it wasn't full of great music and great atmosphere. Gonzalez is a master of minimalism, and one worth seeing if you get the chance.