Southeast Engine at Schubas | Photo gallery + live review

The young men of Southeast Engine met in the small college town of Athens, OH, nestled in the picturesque rolling hills of Appalachia. They've recorded an album in an abandoned high school gymnasium in a 19th century middle school in southeast Ohio, and on their latest release, entitled Canary, the group once again mines the rich history of the region. The record's narrative follows the tribulations of a family living in the area during the Great Depression. The songs are full of depictions of hardships—natural, financial and otherwise— but onstage at Schubas, the group managed to imbue their earnest brand of folk rock with a palpable sense of unyielding optimism.

"They might take our land, our home / All kinds of worst case scenarios" mused frontman Adam Remnant, opening up the bouncing, piano-driven "Cold Front Blues." Taking turns on bass and keyboards, Remnant's brother Jesse also provided the vocal harmonies that propelled tracks like "At Least We Have Each Other" and "Preparing For The Flood" towards their sweeping crescendos. Midway through their set, the group turned in a cover of John Prine's "That's The Way That The World Goes 'Round," a track with a lyrical honesty and melodious quality that obviously informed the band's sound.

 

The latter half of their set tended towards some of the band's older material, but not before touching upon the soul-inflected groove of Canary's "New Growth." Energetic, driving renditions of upbeat cuts "We Have You Surrounded" and "Black Gold," moved the band's performance toward it's conclusion: the uncharacteristically raucous "Taking the Fall."  A single-song encore found the group reaching back into their catalog, performing "Stranded in the Heartland," a track from their 2003 debut. With songs that bring the trials of the past into a present-day context and a live presence that warmly breathes them to life, it's safe to say that Southeast Engine have broke free of the heartland and are ready to take on the world.