Show Preview: Scattered Trees with Paul Dempsey and The Alternate Routes

Scattered Trees

Scattered Trees with Paul Dempsey and The Alternate Routes
at Brighton Music Hall, Thurs, August 18, 2011
Doors at 8 PM; Show at 8:30 PM; 18+ show

Chicago-based Scattered Trees are currently are their first national tour, stopping by Brighton Music Hall with Australian singer-songwriter Paul Dempsey (formerly with Something For Kate) and Connecticut band The Alternate Routes.

On their new album Sympathy (released 8/9 on Roll Call Records), lead singer Nate Eiseland sings about love and loss with softly spoken, intimate vocals, inspired by his father’s passing a year ago. Their sound, though the lyrics are wistful and sad, is serene, fresh, and full of hope. Especially lovely is a song like “Five Minutes,” beautiful in its uke simplicity, opening up into a soaring melody (“I was lost, but I was free / took the pain to remind me”).

Scattered Trees & Alternate Routes Tour by scatteredroutestour

Paul Dempsey, an Australian multi-instrumentalist recently relocated to NYC, was formerly lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the Melbourne band Something For Kate. He released his first solo album back in 2009, Everything Is True. His vocals glide and soar like the birds he sings about in “Bats,” and the acoustic backing perfectly frames his starkly visual, compelling storytelling. He’ll be performing solo material as well as trying out songs from the upcoming Something For Kate album.

Paul Dempsey – Bats by theaussiebbq

Rounding out the bill will be trio-recently-turned-quartet The Alternate Routes, from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Their third album, released last year, is Lately.

Stay by The Alternate Routes