An event that can be considered "chill" and taken from a local coffee house, Amos Lee, accompanied with Mutlu, performed at the Pabst Theater Saturday.
The crowd was similar to those who go to Milwaukee's Jazz in the Park — a mix of college students and 30-somethings who enjoy the finer and trendier things in life, such as a glass of wine and folkish music rather than head banging and a mosh pit.
Performing first was Mutlu, a one-man show with an acoustic guitar in his hands and a smile across his face. The Philadelphia native was versatile and hip, with songs that reached far and wide discussing issues of love and his Turkish heritage. On one end, Mutlu produces an easy melody of carefree music, which resonates the feelings of a warm summer day. In other songs, however, Mutlu emulated Tenacious D, using his guitar and humor to create sexual innuendoes with harmless and innocent objects, such as board games. The crowd gladly ate up these antics.
Although the audience varied in age, all became teenagers at the stroke of 8 p.m., screaming out requests and love adoration's, even singing along to catchier songs such as "Think It Over" and "Livin' It."
If the crowd had a crush on Mutlu, then it was Amos Lee they truly had their hearts set on. The 27-year-old former school teacher is also a Philadelphia native, which explains the connection and friendship with Mutlu. Along with a drummer, trumpet, bass and piano, Lee took the old form of folk and breathed new life into it.
The tone was mellow and subdued for most songs such as "Bring It All Up" and "Love in the Lies," which sounded akin to smooth upbeat rhythms of Norah Jones or Jack Johnson. The importance of the music not only to the audience but for the musicians was also noteworthy. Lee and his band were not just entertainers, but musicians who interacted on stage in a fun and familiar manner, adding on delicious freestyling sounds. This spin ultimately resulted in a sound that was even better then what is found on Lee's debut album, Blue Note.
An encore was obvious, as Lee announced to the crowd that he only had a few more songs to play. With the groans of clear disappointment, Lee simply said, "OK, how about I play a few more songs and leave, you clap, and then I play a few more songs." The encore was an enthusiastic performance with a duet between Mutlu and Lee, playing the classic "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" and leaving the audience with a finale that was most appreciated.
It was apparent that the new spin on folk music produced by Lee and the trendy all-around acoustic stylings of Mutlu was an experience that satisfied the wildly-beating teenage hearts that resided in the adult fans at the Pabst Theater.