One thing I love about social media is having the ability to be up to date on what musicians are doing in the world, and where they’ll be in the next year. When I was working for FieldGuides in April, I learned that The Head and The Heart were scheduled to come to the Greek in Berkeley, CA in October. The cherry on top of this already delicious sundae was that The Tallest Man On Earth was opening for them! I had never seen him before and immediately knew that I had to go to this show.
I first heard The Tallest Man On Earth one rainy morning in high school when my friend played his song The Dreamer from his EP Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird. Being the depressed teenager I was at the time, this song drew me in immediately. The deep, throbbing guitar matched with his Bob Dylan-esque voice emulates what my depression, at the time, was struggling to say to me. The line “sometimes the blues is just a passing bird why can’t that always be?,” is, in my opinion, a universally relatable statement. The song puts into words what depression, at least for me (I can’t speak to other’s experiences but I can talk about mine), is like. Feeling like you’re barely hanging on, “I’m just a dreamer but I’m hanging on,” and that you are floating and have nothing new and exciting to do or offer, “though I am nothing big to offer.” Listening to The Dreamer helps me feel less alone when I’m dealing with my depression. It makes me feel like there are other people out there who feel the same way as I do, and that’s reassuring to me.
The Tallest Man On Earth is made up of one gentleman, Kristian Matsson. Originally from Dalarna, Sweden, he started his career as the lead singer of Montezumas, an indie band. In 2006 he released his first solo EP, The Tallest Man On Earth which was received extremely well. Many people think of Bob Dylan when they hear Matsson. He has the same scratchy, nearly out of tune voice, and his lyrics are almost as poetic. In 2008 he released his first album, Shallow Grave, which was listed as #47 on the 50 Best Albums of 2008 according to Pitchfork. After the release of his first album he went on tour as the opening act for Bon Iver. This was followed by his own solo tour throughout Europe, Australia, and the US.. Although Matsson wasn’t signed onto a record label he had no problem attracting crowds.
In 2010 The Tallest Man On Earth released his second album, The Wild Hunt, under the record label Dead Oceans. He had turned down many other offers, all of which wanted to give his music a more commercial feel. Dead Oceans allowed him to have artistic freedom with his music. Matsson now has four albums and two EPs under his belt. His most recent album, Dark Bird is Home, came out last year to much excitement from his fans.
So…what was this post about? Oh right Berkeley. The Greek. So, I managed to convince several of my friends and my boyfriend to come with me, and October 8th found us in The Greek, excitedly awaiting for the lights to go down. The Tallest Man On Earth finally emerged and blew us away. He had a band with him which, apparently, is unusual as he’s usually by himself. However, the band did leave and come back several times throughout his set. Matsson has a very genuine feeling about him while he’s performing, plus he does these cute dances on stage. He hops around the stage on his little feet and it’s absolutely adorable.
Although he didn’t play The Dreamer he did play my second favorite song of his, The Gardener. An upbeat tune, that I’m still not quite sure what it’s about, but I like to think of it as a love song. I haven’t listened to his new album yet, but I’m sure when I do I’ll recognize many of the songs that he played that night. I wish that his set could have gone for much longer.
The Head and The Heart came on at last, and I have to admit I wasn’t as excited to see them compared to when I saw them a few years ago. I feel like there are certain bands that you can never get tired of seeing live, and sadly I don’t think The Head and The Heart are one of those bands for me. They were very upbeat and excited to be there, but I didn’t feel quite as connected with them as I did with their opener. However, when they ended their show with Rivers and Roads I walked away happy. The friends that I had brought with me all work at the same summer camp, and the four of us have sung Rivers and Roads for camp fire many many times, so it was a really special moment to sing with the three of them while The Head and The Heart sang with us.
All in all it was a fantastic show. The Greek was a great venue and I’d love to see more shows there. Although my butt may complain about the cement benches and my wallet may whine about the $12 beer, it was all worth it. I’m so grateful that it worked out, and I’m looking forward to the next show that I’ll see there.
Check out The Head and The Heart
Check out The Tallest Man On Earth
All photos © Mimi Chouard
Autumn Micketti 