Syrian singer-songwriter Bedouine opens: Swedish-Argentine troubadour José González transcends charm and tranquility even trans-Atlantically as he speaks from his home in Gothenburg. Like his instrumentation, composed of simple guitar melodies carried by hushed, plainspoken vocals emoting human struggles, the man on the phone betrays zero angst.: “At first, it was a punk band, then I started playing in a hardcore band,” he chuckles. “When I released my first album, that was the thing that people liked the most.”: Inviting and calm, his 2005 debut Veneer set a precedent for his following works of pure guitar and vocals, wherein the bare bones of a song normally made to be less are elevated by his personal odes and empathetic lyrics.: “I’m just trying to find the riffs and chord progressions that I like, then I write the lyrics for that demo,” he explains. “At the very last minute, I try to tie up the different songs into a theme. So, in general, I think all my albums are pretty similar.”: In Our Nature followed in 2007, then eight years later his most recent album, Vestiges & Claws, dropped. The gap wasn’t spent idly, either. González released music with Swedish indie rock outfit Junip and soundtracked 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.: “I get tired if I do too much of the same,” he pauses. “Especially touring-wise, it’s good to vary the people you’re traveling with and also where I’m traveling.”: For now, he’ll occupy stages across the U.S alone with a guitar in hand.: “I like to play when there’s a good-sounding P.A. and don’t really mind what people are doing at the time – laying down, sitting, dancing,” he laughs. “That’s what I enjoy the most, when I feel like there’s power behind the music.”
Sat., Feb. 3, 8pm