Vulture Feather, a third-stage evolution of emo band Don Martin Three and art rock group Wilderness, is a self-proclaimed “post/pre/future punk band from the northern mountains of California.” The trio, composed of vocalist/guitarist Colin McCann, bassist Brian Gossman, and drummer Eric Fiscus took the stage one Friday (March 14) night at Eli’s Mile High Club, one of many stops on their West US tour.
I had never been to Eli’s before, so I just assumed the show started at eight o’clock like most shows do. I got there right on time after rushing to eat dinner and make the bus. To my surprise, there was no music. So after reading all my emails, completing all the New York Times games, and paying my credit card bill online, I sat and people-watched. The crowd was quintessentially millennial, which was kind of refreshing, considering I had seen The Garden in Santa Cruz the previous weekend among hundreds of high-schoolers. I must have missed the dress code – everyone was dressed in all-black outfits and rolled-up beanies, and some people were performatively reading in the dimly-lit bar. The people in front of me were celebrating a friend’s 30th birthday. Everyone seemed excited for the show to begin.
A little after nine, San Francisco based post-punk band The Gallery, climbed onstage to open the show. Singer Cass MacGowan growled heavy lyrics into the microphone and danced to the down-trodden sounds of the band. I remember during their set, the person next to me dropped their drink on the floor, and it landed upside down without spilling. Then, when they picked it up, the entire contents sloshed all over the floor.
Next, a male quartet took the stage, and I prepared to make my way up to the front to get a closer look at who I thought was Vulture Feather . After twenty minutes of troubleshooting the equipment and sound-checking, the frontman said “We are Ivy Blu!” My heart sank. It was already almost ten o’clock, the buses stopped running, and I realized I’d have to eat the cost of an Uber home. I quickly got over myself and enjoyed the heavy rock set. Something I remember well; it smelled really strongly of ketchup at this time and while the guitarist paused to fix a broken string mid-set the sound techs behind me joked about playing the Jeopardy music over the speakers.
Finally, at half past ten, Vulture Feather graced the stage. Looking unassuming in their plain t-shirts and baseball caps, they immediately plunged into an upbeat song from their latest release, It Will Be Like Now, without introduction. McCann’s low, yowling voice was unlike anything I’ve heard before; he tipped his head to the ceiling and embodied each powerful note. His deep, introspective lyrics soared over the rhythmic drum beat and jangly guitar sounds. During the band’s performance of “Inseparable” from their 2023 album Liminal Fields, McCann sang “From the void appears the form / as the eye, the storm / it’s inseparable / if this never began / how could it ever end?” Backed by Fiscus’s steady drumming and Gossman’s heavy bass line, McCan felt each word and stamped his feet as he plucked jangly guitar chords.
Another highlight was the band’s rendition of “Bell of Renewal” from Liminal Fields. McCann’s voice strained as he repeated the lyric “ringing in the bell” during the chorus. I could feel my entire body buzzing from head to toe with the music. Someone in the crowd had his fist held up for the entire song. Then, in a later song, the same person held up three fingers, which confused me.
Vulture Feather’s final song, “Into Space” from It Will Be Like Now, placed the spotlight on McCann’s thundering vocals over minimalist but powerful instrumentation. “As I visualize your face / we dissolve back into space,” he boomed with finality. The last guitar note rang out, and the audience applauded raucously. “We’re Vulture Feather, we’re from up north,” stated McCann self-assuredly before the band exited the stage.
Review by Gaby Smith, photos by Janine Bedon
