I don't know if you've heard, but concert tickets are in a bit of a high demand. Ever since the return of live music four years ago, the cost of entry to see artists has faced a new challenge of dealing with exorbitant prices. Ranging from global superstars to underground hitmakers, the surge in prices has been felt all around and there seems to be no sign of slowing down. Following the past few years of rising to heights of fame that at one point seemed impossible, Katie Crutchfield and MJ Lenderman have sky rocketed in terms of popularity for their respective careers, so it should be almost of no surprise that when they announced a new album that actually featured Katie's twin sister Allison as the other primary songwriter, all bets were off. Pair that with the fact that they were playing some pretty tiny venues and these became some of the hottest tickets in the city (I saw resale for as much as $1,000) Packaged as the band Snocaps, the Crutchfield twins are joined by Lenderman on drums and Brad Cook on bass and they delivered a killer set of lo-fi alt-county tunes that shined in the intimate setting. Going right for it with "Coast," it was an immediate joy to see the sisters reunited on stage and their shared command of the situation was enough to put you over from the jump. "Wasteland" was another easy hit that sent a calm groove through the room before picking things up slightly with "Brand New City," a song that had Allison taking hold, her moment receiving some extra cheer as we welcomed her back to the stage. Busting out old, and at this point very rare, Waxahatchee songs was a treat, the comparison to her most recent tunes which have launched her to such esteemed venues helped remind the crowd of her path to stardom, even if everyone in attendance should've been well-versed in the catalogue. Allison dedicated a P.S. Eliot song to twins Jen and Liz Pelly, whome she claimed to be the biggest fans of the band and ripped into a track they stated had rarely, if ever, been played during their original run. Interjecting some legacy songs from each sister's respective and collective pasts made it feel all the more specials and like a culmination of sorts that we may never see again. "Cherry Hard Candy" was the propulsive song to keep the night moving and one that really brought the vibe, leaping from a studio track to one that sounded extra warm when blasting off the stage. It's unclear what the future holds for Snocaps, if they'll head out for a proper tour and the festival circuit, or if they'll keep it to a rather special project. Regardless, being able to see the band play these songs live, and perhaps for the lone times, was something off the cuff and fun. An event that didn't feel pressured into being bigger than its own reality and one that allowed itself to be low-key. It's not often that you get to see some of the best songwriters of a generation play the tunes that they might be most excited about live, but that's what makes these kinds of shows so special. Lenderman and Crutchfield are clearly some of the most storytellers in music for the times, and seeing Katie reunited with her twin whom which she played with to originally gain this status is nothing to ignore. The hottest ticket in town for a reason and one that really did live up to the hype.
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