INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Web exclusive: Duncan Sheik & Holly Brook in Bloomington

 

Duncan Sheik, Holly Brook
Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Bloomington
Saturday, May 5

There wasn't an electric guitar in sight when Duncan Sheik took the stage at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on May 5. Instead, a string quartet backed Sheik on acoustic guitar as he played selections from his latest album, “White Limousine,” and “Spring Awakening,” the Broadway musical he penned with lyricist Steven Sater. Despite the otherwise delicate arrangement, Doug Yowell's driving drums added a note of urgency to the set, which touched on an array of topics from romantic love to maternal love to politics.

Sheik was amiable and seemed at home in the intimate venue. When he announced he would be playing songs from “Spring Awakening,” the small crowd cheered in approval; in return, Sheik proclaimed the Bloomington audience to have "the most theater geeks" out of any stop on his current tour. After his main set, the crowd gave Sheik a standing ovation, which quickly drew him back to the stage for a brief encore. "You don't have to stand," Sheik said, "but I like you for it!"  

Though Sheik's set was polished and intimate, the evening's breakout star was opening act Holly Brook. With a style equal parts Tori Amos and Poe, Brook captivated the Bloomington crowd with her raw emotion and literate lyrics, especially during "What I Wouldn't Give,” a delicate-yet-strong plea to forget the past from her debut album “Like Blood, Like Honey.” While changing her guitars between songs, Brook joked, "One day I will be able to afford roadies to hand me guitars. But not today." Brook rejoined Sheik during his set, providing keyboards and female vocals for the “Spring Awakening” selections.