Wisconsin-based trio Daredevil Christopher Wright played a daytime show at Ithaca’s quaint and brightly-colored The Shop today with local songstress Emily Arin. The snow was falling, the breeze was bitter, and honestly, there couldn’t have been a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Arin took the stage around 2:00, playing a handful of beautiful heartfelt folk songs, piercing the hearts of the small crowd left and right. “Sweetly Breathe”, which was recently nominated for an Independent Music Award, never ceases to draw out that giant lump in the back of my throat. Despite being 7 minutes long, this song captured every ounce of my attention, creating a tension suggesting that if I stopped focusing on the words, a bomb in my head would go off. Arin’s music is not to be ignored. After some small talk and a few more songs, including “When You Knew Me When” and “Hidden Flame” — two songs that were recently included on the soundtrack for Greenland’s first motion picture, Nuummioq — Emily thanked the crowd and sat down for some chai.

Walking into an artist’s show without hearing their work always creates a sense of anxiety in my bones; however, my anxiety evaporated after Daredevil Christopher Wright first harmonized in their opening song (which shares the band’s name). The group has the harmonies of Fleet Foxes, the falsetto of Sufjan Stevens, and the lively energy  of the Dodos. Considering the sleepy nature of the day, the trio was smiling and awake, engaging the small crowd in conversation and giving information about their work. They thanked their second cousin, an Ithaca College student that helped them set up the show, and even talked philosophy… albeit about bears, wolves, and indie music culture. After a crowd-requested encore, the dudes stuck around chatting with fans and friends, which pushed them over the categorical edge from “nice guys who happen to be musicians” to “OMG REALLY NICE KIND DOODZ that are in a RALLY RALLY tal3nt3ddd band.”

I’m not quite convinced their studio recordings measure up to their live performance, but that’s a question you’ll just have to figure out for yourself.

The Daredevil Christopher Wright play in Rochester tomorrow night at the Bug Jar.

Also download their Daytrotter Session for free.

Daredevil Christopher Wright w/ Off with their Heads
Bug Jar
Rochester, NY
Doors 9pm, $8