Kurt Vile and The Violators Flyin' (on a cloud train) Summer tour at the Observatory Orange County

Kurt Vile and the Violators brought their unique take on lo-fi Americana to the Observatory Orange County in Santa Ana, California on a warm Thursday evening. Kurt Vile’s long hair and lanky demeanor perfectly matches his laidback catalogue of mellow Indie Rock which is reminiscent of the artists: Pavement, Neil Young and Tom Petty. He opened his set with the track, 'Back To Moon Beach,' which is one of his mellower cuts and set a template for the rest of the concert.

I first came across Kurt Vile’s music through his collaborations, notably with artist, Courtney Barnett, on the song, 'Over Everything', which provided a perfect match of lazy lyricism and jangly guitars. Kurt Vile also performed duet with Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Starr on the track, 'Let Me Get There,' which finds his deep laconic drawl aptly set off against Sandoval's harmonies.

At the concert, Kurt Vile was wearing Converse sneakers, blue jeans, and a lumberjack shirt - dive bar chic. His musical lyrics drew the audience closer. Each song built upon each other and warmly enveloped the audience. Vile’s starting point in his musical career was as a guitarist for Adam Granduciel’s group, War On Drugs. Like War On Drugs, the songs don't really have riffs or classical structures, rather loops and meandering atmospheres.

Kurt Vile is a stellar guitar player and performed acoustic versions of his songs, such as performing the track, 'Bassackwards', midway through the concert. He sang, 'I was standing down, but also on the run', on the song and his warm storytelling style drew the listeners in. The message of the line, at its center is a contradiction, somehow summed up Vile's endearing oeuvre that had the audience on the edge. For more information and upcoming tour dates, visit Kurt Vile’s website. For upcoming events at the Observatory Orange County, visit their website.

SETLIST

• Back to Moon Beach

• Hey Like a Child

• Jesus Fever

• Bassackwards

• Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)

• Blackberry Song

• Girl Called Alex

• Loading Zones

• KV Crimes

• Like Exploding Stones

Coverage by Martin Woster // Instagram: @martinwosterphotography

Contact for us for advertising! If you would like to feature your event, art, music, venue, or business on SoundBite Magazine, send an email to soundbitemag@gmail.com for features and promotional inquiries.

For upcoming events and artists features, follow SoundBite Magazine on Instagram, X, Facebook, and YouTube.