The Bygones bring a blast from the past to recordBar
The Bygones. // photo by Haley Mullenix
The Bygones
with the Wildwoods
recordBar
Friday, April 12
Friday night, I found myself walking into RecordBar here in KC where the indie-folk duo The Bygones that is made up of Joshua Lee Turner and Allison Young were set to play the eighth stop on their tour. I noticed as I walked up that the demographic for this show was all folks a little older than myself. If you know anything about The Bygones, you’ll know that they draw inspiration heavily from the ‘40s and ‘60s with a bit of jazz and classical influence, so I wasn’t too surprised to not see anyone my age, but they’re definitely missing out!
Opening the night was The Wildwoods, a folk trio from Nebraska whose voices melted together to create their intricate, lullaby-esque sound. Many in the audience sat crisscrossed on the floor throughout the night, and though it might have been to save their knee,s it made for a more intimate feeling throughout the room that felt fitting for the genre.
The Wildwoods. // photo by Haley Mullenix
The trio told stories to accompany their songs and they all ended with “And that’s how we met Andrew” (their bass player), which garnered lots of laughs every time. The band included a bluegrass cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright,” the story being that they played at a bluegrass competition, which they had no idea was a competition until they arrived and subsequently lost! The crowd, of course, loved it and appreciated the band’s humor to start out the night. The best part about folk bands is that every member is always so immensely talented and it’s always amazing to watch them perform. The Wildwoods brought it all and got the night started right.
The Bygones were next and the stage was fitted with one of those vintage round microphones before they stepped on. As they took the stage, the first thing I noticed was Allison wearing the most amazing plaid pants suit I’d ever seen! It was like taking a step back in time, and when they started singing the crowd began whooping and hollering!
The Bygones. // photo by Haley Mullenix
The Bygones have a palpable joy when performing and this, combined with their technique and spellbinding vocals, makes it easy to see why they are loved so much. The duo wasn’t even an official band when they began performing, their first release being a Willie Nelson cover. They gained popularity online and were soon rushing to record an EP so they could build out their setlist.
Rushed is the furthest thing their music feels like though, as it all seems to come so naturally to them both. The duo took a couple requests from the crowd and sang a cover of “Plastic Jesus” before ending the night with their song “Hollow Wood,” a beautiful acapella ballad that echoed throughout the room drawing the night to a close. The duo’s debut album The Bygones is out now and I highly recommend you give it a listen.
All photos by Haley Mullenix
The Bygones
The Wildwoods
