Currently on tour, The Lone Bellow made a several stops in the Lone Star state this past week, and we had the opportunity to catch them at their show in Dallas, Texas at the Granada Theater on April 24. Originating from Brooklyn, New York, this American/indie folk/alt-country band features the spirited Zach Williams (guitar, lead vocals), the glamorous Kanene Pipkin (mandolin, bass, keyboard, vocals), the soulful Brian Elmquist (guitar, vocals), and Jason Pipkin (bassist and husband of Kanene – adorable, right?).
I’d love to say I’ve been a fan of The Lone Bellow for years but to be honest, I’ve only known of them for a year and give all credit to a dear friend of mine who’s been following their music for much longer. After inviting said friend to Old Settler’s Music Festival back in 2017 (read our recap about the 2018 festival here!), she immediately responded back letting me know that she’d absolutely go, noting that The Lone Bellow was one of her favorite bands and that she’d love to see them perform again at the festival. At the time I didn’t even know who these folks were (I feel so embarrassed to admit that here) and was more interested in seeing several other different artists at the festival that year such as Shakey Graves, Gregory Alan Isakov, Sarah Jarosz… it was a fantastic lineup, but I digress.
Though I was fairly unfamiliar with their music, I attended their afternoon set on that sunny Saturday afternoon and was immediately blown away. Not knowing even one song, I still found myself dancing and somehow catching up fast enough to sing along. The band’s chemistry and dynamic on stage wowed me – it was the first band in a while that watched perform I thought to myself, “Wow. These guys LOVE doing this. This isn’t just for show.”
Being the millennial I am, I naturally posted some videos of their performance at Old Settler’s on Instagram and almost instantaneously received a comment back from another friend back in New York City (where I lived prior to moving to Austin) asking me if I knew that they used to attend a parish of the church we attended. NO, I did NOT! I soon later found out that they even used to lead worship music there. Though a small connection, it was one that made me feel even more connected to their music.
Fast track to a year and many (perhaps too many) Spotify streams later, and these guys are now one of my favorite bands. So when I heard they’d be touring promoting their newest album “Walk Into a Storm,” I knew I had to go.
I showed up to the Granada Theater in Dallas, Texas somewhat knowing what to expect (energy, sweat, passion, and enthusiasm) but at the same time excited to see/hear the unexpected along with their new music. To my pleasure, they opened up with a song from their newest album, the perfect kick-start to the evening.
All tracks in their set list included the following (bolded with links are my personal favorites… you’ll notice there are a lot of them 😬).
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Deeper in the Water
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Time’s Always Leaving
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Long Way to Go
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Between the Lines
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Diners
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Feather
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Heaven Don’t Call Me Home
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Call To War
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If Tomorrow Never Comes
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Callin’ Baton Rouge
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Cold As It Is
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Never Tear Us Apart
There are some experiences, people, and memories that are just too difficult to describe through words. The Lone Bellow’s performance at The Granada was that for me. Sure, I could tell you a sentence or two about how insanely connective and personable, funny and witty, exciting and sentimental each member of the band was (because they were ALL of the above), but I don’t even think that would suffice. The Lone Bellow is beyond words. They are beyond description. They bring a passion to stage that puts every other band to shame. Again, they are a band that you can immediately tell that truly and fully love what they do through how they deliver their music and how they interact with the audience. Below is a snippet of one of my favorite songs they performed live, “Watch Over Us.”
It was an emotional, moving show that I’ll never forget. Despite the fact that I’d seen them before, this one felt more meaningful and close to my heart than before. Perhaps it was the intimacy of the Granada Theater, or perhaps it was because I’ve grown fonder of them over the past year. Either way, I’m immensely thankful I got to see them perform live again and can’t wait to make it happen again.
We captured some beautiful shots of The Lone Bellow that go to show just how much their pour their hearts and emotions out to their fans. We hope you enjoy viewing some of them below. Be sure to check in again soon on other music recaps and photo galleries here!
Leigh is a native Texan gone temporary New Yorker and now proud Austinite. Passions include but are not limited to music (both as a spectator and dabbler), traveling & cultural adventures, film & television, true crime, design (of the fashion, interior, and graphic sorts), and photographing & writing about all the aforementioned. Self-acclaimed coffee connoisseur & wino, cat aficionado, book worm, and nature junkie.