at Tractor Tavern

I fancy me some Texas music, and this is far from a surprise for a lot of people. Whenever Texas people get together in Seattle, especially DENTON , Texas people, you can count me in. Last night was no exception, as The Theater Fire and Robert Gomez strummed their Texas best at the Tractor Tavern.

I've seen The Theater Fire at small grimy clubs in Texas many times before and was excited to see them in Seattle at what I believe is the perfect venue for them, the Tractor. Their horn blaring multi-instrumental sound reminds me of Beirut with a country twist, but The Theater Fire has been playing these tunes for over ten years.

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The Theater Fire spin tales awash with which-way vagabonds, lovers in trouble and tragic wrong-doers caught in webs of want. Zydeco, bluegrass, country and mariachi styles meld together into a calmly sauntering style so true to the region it's scary. Purveyors of music for a simpler time, but in no less of a passionate way, the Theater Fire make darn honest music told through the lens of the multi-instrumental music of the swampy south. You're taken through ghost towns and tumbleweed entangled fences... you're introduced to the way Texas music sounded long ago, the way it SHOULD sound, slow and important.

After living it up in NYC, recording a jazz record and briefly joining the circus, Robert Gomez returned to his collegiate roots in Denton, Texas. Along with recording his second album, Brand New Towns, Robert has worked in collaboration with History at Our Disposal, Sarah Jaffe and South San Gabriel. He whispers his lyrics over lush instrumentation, his sound resonantly simple and pretty yet not without dimension.

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