David Bazan house show – This week’s Surround Sounds by Justin McGowan

Singer-songwriter David Bazan has done anything but take the easy road during his music career. As the creative force behind Seattle-based Pedro the Lion, Bazan won over legions of fans with cleverly constructed, and undeniably catchy songs with a socio-religious bent. Bazan wrote every song and played almost every instrument on the band’s first two LP’s.

When Pedro The Lion disbanded in 2006, Bazan began a solo career in which he has continued exploring some of the same political and theological narratives that were at the heart of his early songwriting, albeit with some very different and constantly evolving views on these subjects. Many of Bazan’s songs explore themes of morality and good versus evil, and how those ideas apply to personal politics and religion.

While these may seem like heavy ideas to try and tackle with only a guitar, a few words, and less than five minutes time, there are none better than Bazan at cutting to the heart of these issues in a way that is accessible, incisive, non-pretentious, and most of all, hugely entertaining. Aside from his razor-sharp wit and intelligence as a writer and scientific precision as an arranger, Bazan is one of the most compelling solo performers I have ever seen. He has an immense voice that immediately commands attention, but is also capable at times of a sweetness and clarity at lower volumes that is seldom seen in songwriter circles. He sings with a conviction and passion that is simply mesmerizing and wills listeners to immerse themselves in a given song’s content with zero effort or labor whatsoever.

While he could easily fill much larger venues on tour, Bazan prefers the intimacy and immediacy of small house concerts, where he feels (and I agree) that his songs are most potent and available to interested and focused audiences. I strongly urge anyone with even a passing interest in the either the craft of songwriting or the human condition in general to go see this very exclusive show at an undisclosed location. Very few tickets remain, so act as quickly as possible at the link given below. I guarantee you will wonder how you were ever so lucky as to witness such a huge talent, in such close proximity, and in so small a room.

David Bazan House Concert, Friday, May 10. To purchase tickets and get the show’s location, click here.