In an indie music city like Omaha, Nebraska, Jenny Lewis is queen. When passing through Omaha, her royal court or backing band has often consisted of the musical stylings of The Watson Twins. However, Omaha had never experienced the Watson Twins without the queen and for their first time in Omaha without Lewis, the Watson Twins proved they are just as ready to rule the scene as anybody else.
For their first Lewis-less endeavor in Omaha, the Watson Twins played not just once, but twice on the same day. They were in town to kick-off Ben Kweller‘s tour in support of his latest release, Changing Horses. That evening, the Watson Twins played a set with a full-band and though they have fairly laid back songs, they played a set that had everybody in the crowd moving. However, the Watson Twins really had a chance to prove themselves to Omaha not during this opening slot at the Slowdown, but at a free in-store acoustic performance at Homer’s Records in the Omaha Old Market.
The Watson Twins stripped down may not sound too different from The Watson Twins normal, but the difference was there, nonetheless. This was good because it made it so the repeat songs from the early acoustic performance still were fresh for the evening.
Wedged between shelves of vinyl records, the twins began playing to the motley crew gathered in the store with an old EP song, “Southern Manners”. Whether the crowd actually recognized this it was hard to tell, they welcomed it just as warmly as the four following songs off the twins’ more recent Fire Songs release.
They couldn’t have been in a better venue than a record store to recommend to their younger fans to check out The Cure as they began their slowed-down folk rendition of “Just Like Heaven” complete with harmonica.
“You look like you have a balloon head,” Leigh Watson teased her sister, Chandra Watson, who was fighting a cold. Even with the teasing, it was clear from the banter that the sisters aren’t just harmonious as singers, but in their familial relationship, too. Their exchange just made the crowd feel even cozier in the small venue.
Leigh gave her sick sister’s voice a rest by taking over the mic and singing “How Am I to Be” complete with snaps. Chandra hadn’t seemed like she was fighting a cold, but it was a bit more obvious once her sister’s more dominant and healthy voice took front and center.
The set was finished out with “Old Ways”, which they described as the “secret title track” for Fire Songs.
This was a pleasantly entertaining set and the girls showed that their ethereal vocals work just as well in the spotlight as they do as backups. I hope the Watson Twins return to Omaha…with or without Jenny Lewis.
Set List:
01. Southern Manners
02. Only You
03. Just Like Heaven
04. How Am I to Be
05. Old Ways
The Watson Twins: website | myspace | @ manhattan center grand ballroom | interview with pt. I | interview with pt. II
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