FYF Fest 2010: Dead Man’s Bones
By Seraphina L.
Ryan Gosling has come a long way from The Mickey Mouse Club. Not only does he have a steady acting career but he’s also put his vocal talents to use on the wonderful album he released with his friend, Zach Shields. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I really hope you were at Dead Man’s Bones set at FYF Fest this weekend. If you weren’t, you missed out on the most eclectic performance the festival could have brought you.
Gosling and Shields released the wonderfully gothic album under the moniker Dead Man’s Bones last year and to my surprise, it was a great surprise. Although I knew Gosling could sing, I had no idea he would sound as legitimate as he did on the record as well as he did on Saturday night.
Dead Man’s Bones brought eccentric to entirely different level when they brought out the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir. The choir wasn’t a surprise since they did perform on the entire album with Gosling and Shields. However, it was how they were dressed that caught me a bit off guard. The youngsters stepped out on to the stage in costumes that ranged from dead flappers to dead Santas and to explain it all, Gosling merely stated, “We’re having a costume contest.”
A choir is always nice to have on stage and it’s even more endearing when it’s a children’s choir. However, children’s choirs can get a bit annoying after a while. (There is a reason I can’t listen to John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” anymore.) Yet, I – along with the big massive crowd I was standing in – were completely charmed by the entire set. Dead Man’s Bones were very smart when it came to arranging their songs because there wasn’t one moment when the children’s choir got tedious.
Gosling and Shields both sounded exceptionally well as did their choir director. Not only was the music great in a live setting but there was a lot of heart in this set. It’s only those with heart who can pull of great sets and I can now say Dead Man’s Bones is one of these bands.
Photo by Carl Pocket
Check out more Dead Man’s Bones photos from our FYF Fest 2010 photo gallery!
