One of the more special things about Madison is the UW’s Memorial Union Terrace. It beats the pants of the student union at my alma mater (sorry IU). And if you’re into music, you won’t overlook the worth of this venue. Keep your eyes out for their regular Thursday night concerts in the summer.
Last Thursday’s act was San Fermin, with local band Griswald opening. The opening set had most of the crowd in question for the better part of the first hour. After delaying their set 20 minutes, with some band members’ fingers pointing up with the singer asking if he could “get more of me” and other technical difficulties, they played one song before departing the stage to confusion from the crowd. I’m not sure who’s to blame, but the crowd definitely enjoyed the continuity of the iPod music more than the starts and stops from the live band. DJ, spin that!
Griswald came off a bit high-maintenance for an opening act, but then again something was technically awry. After some waiting, the band reconvened and put struck a solid set together for the all ready audience—though the audio was still a bit harsh—the highlight of which was the harmonies between the lead singer and drummer.
After little intermission, San Fermin started without a glitch in opening with their self-titled LP’s opener, “Renaissance.” Immediately following, frontwoman Charlene Kaye asked the audience to stand up and dance to which everyone happily obliged. Charlene took over for Rae Cassidy in April when Rae decided to pursue solo projects instead. Furthermore, neither Rae nor Charlene appear on San Fermin—that was originally tasked to Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of the group Lucius.
That’s not all that makes San Fermin’s live performances unique. The group is the brainchild of pianist and songwriter Ellis Ludwig-Leone. After graduating with a composition degree from Yale, Ellis turned his sights to incorporating his compositions into pop music. He headed to the Banff Centre in Canada to write what would become San Fermin. Eventually, that work would be recorded into an album by 22 musicians, including long-time friend Allen Tate.
For the live performances, the group has a solidified as an 8-piece traveling group that’s been on the road since last September and played around 150 shows, according to bandleader Ludwig-Leone. When listening to the group live, what’s most impressive is their ability to be a large, functioning machine amidst all their talent.
The show was great and had the audience equally enthralled. The dynamics and energy were possessive. From quiet and gentle vocals with minimalist backing to swells of thrashing violin, trumpet, and baritone sax, San Fermin knows how to compose a song. They know how to have fun on stage, too.