“I was always there like a film that covers up your eyes.”
That’s the great opening line of “Queen, Liz” — the first song on Christ, Lord’s EP Live at Criminal Records recorded in September 2012.
The Atlanta band brought its kind-of-gypsy folk for a long, exuberant set last week at Dollhouse Productions here in Savannah. That show was being recored too, as part of the Savannah Stopover‘s series of Sessions. I don’t know when any of the songs from that night will be released, but I’ll update this post when they are.
I’ve heard Christ, Lord several times now (see here and here), but this was the best show yet, by far. In part, that was because of the venue itself — the Dollhouse space gave guests room to move, to dance, or just to drift to the back and listen and sway and get lost in the sound.
Lead singer and accordionist Christian Ballew has a quiet charisma on stage, and his voice feels just perfect for dancing through the beauties and ironies of Christ, Lord’s songs. Like this: “I’m the pearl in the oyster / You’re the pearls before swine.”
Of course, Ballew isn’t alone — I can’t imagine anyone makes any real money when traveling with an 8-member band, but they sure make some good music together. The combination of sounds and sensibilities gets better every time I hear Christ, Lord.
You can find Christ, Lord on Facebook and bandcamp.
And let me add: I’m skeptical that Christ, Lord has found the best band name for advancing their career(s).
I took some photos. The lighting was uneven across the stage — very uneven — but the overall visual effect was lovely.
