By Anna Shockley
Some of my fellow indie music loving buds and I headed to the Paper Tiger on Saturday October 23rd to hear the Montreal based band, Men I Trust. We were greeted by a long line of other fans, anxiously waiting to be let inside.
The opening set was 23 year old singer-songwriter Micheal Seyer. Originally from the Philippines, now based out of LA, Micheal put on a laid back yet pleasant performance (except for the baby yoda, that was eventful). If you’ve never listened to his music, I would compare it to Men I Trust having a music baby with Babe Rainbow with slightly less direction and fewer lyrics. To make matters more awkward, the sound booth was in a funny mood, so the few lyrics he did sing were muffled and inaudible. Even though I am being slightly critical, I really did enjoy his set, all things considered. My friends and I got to chat with him afterwards and we were not surprised to discover that the chill and nonchalant attitude from his music perfectly represented his disposition (I love you Micheal Seyer).
By the time Men I Trust came on, the crowd had buffed up substantially. Everytime I go to Paper Tiger, I am continuously blown away by how small the room can feel during an empty concert, but how big the room can feel when fans are stacked from wall to wall. This concert was sold out, so the room felt massive. The stage was composed of the lead singer Emma Proulx, the bassist Jessy Cason and multi-instrumentalist Dragos Chiriac. They played some of my personal favorite songs including Tailwhip, Seven, and finished off with Show Me How, after the crowd demanded an encore.
The lead singer Emma Proulx has an aura of confidence that almost, dare I say it, makes her music sound better. All three of them make good music and look happy doing it. The camaraderie and stress free energy between the three of them made it easy to forget I was at a concert and not in their basement. The crowd clearly picked up on this laid back energy. Everyone was friendly and clearly excited to be at the show.
Despite the technical shortcomings, the overall performance was pleasant and laid back, which is what I was looking forward to. I did find out afterwards that the same technical issues from Paper Tiger, have happened at every venue in Texas so far for the bands, so I hope they resolve it for their remaining tour (Do better Texas!). Peace out, I hope to see Men I Trust back in San Antonio soon!
Pictured: Will Beauchamp and Micheal Seyer at Paper Tiger