I first saw Esme Patterson at Mohawk Place in Buffalo, NY on April 12, 2016. She was the opener for the band we were there to see, San Fermin, and she completely blew it out of the water. She was also super sweet, and took photos and chatted with us at the bar after her set while San Fermin was setting up on the stage. Esme Patterson hails from Denver, Colorado, and is currently touring with Charleston, South Carolina band, SUSTO. When my friend and I found out she was playing at Ithaca's local pub and music venue, The Haunt, we quickly snatched up tickets.
Ithaca, NY is only an hour and a half from Rochester, NY, which makes it a super easy place to get to, and I always like the opportunity to explore some of the cute cities around us that I often don't get a chance to see. Traditionally, my friend and I try to find the closest place for a gyro or kebab, but The Haunt offered some yummy domestic and even local Ithaca brews as well as a whole menu of sharable pub food for only $7! We decided to split the chicken tenders and fries basket, and it was so delicious. My friend got a new seasonal Fat Tire Belgian White Ale, and I passed on the beer because I had actually had some wine before we left for the show.
I almost felt bad at the concert because there wasn't a huge crowd of people at all. I was so surprised because Esme is pretty well known amongst the indie scene due to her SXSW performance with Shakey Graves and her cameo vocals in his song "Dearly Departed". Regardless, I was maybe a little more than excited to be able to stand wherever I wanted for the concert. SUSTO came on first, and I also heard that Esme and SUSTO had been alternating the order each night they played together.
The band was a pretty good size of about five members and their style was a bit indie rock and surf rock and some country or blues influence. The singer had a great, emotional voice, and I especially liked the slide guitar trickled into each song. Every song sounded a bit different, which I enjoyed, and the set was a good mix of fast and slow pieces. Ultimately, SUSTO reminded me a lot of one of my favorite indie groups, Night Beds, so I was very thrilled with the performance and definitely became a fan.
During SUSTO's performance, Esme was at her merch table and also was seen dancing along to the band's music for a short time. My friend and I of course went over to chat with her again, asking about her new short-haired look and telling her that we saw her last April and loved her so much we had to see her again. She sweetly took another selfie with us just like she had done in Buffalo. She reacted super modestly, but she was really attentive and seemed surprised but happy to chat with us!
Esme sounds a bit like Regina Spektor with that very slight, Shakey Graves-ish bluegrass vibe. A lot of her songs scream blues lyrics but are typically upbeat and bouncy. Her performance was really charming and made everyone in the room feel cozy and close-knit, but still otherworldly and euphoric. She sang "No River" and dedicated it to "all the human beings out there." What I liked about her performance the most was that she talked a little bit about each piece before playing it, almost describing the mindset she had with each one, and it was such a treat. All of her songwriting has such a deep, personal feel to it as they read so much like a diary, and one would probably be flustered to ask her about any of the songs' meanings.
OUR SELFIES WITH ESME 4-12-16 & 10-25-17
She did initially come out on the stage wearing a long, pink wig, which I was absolutely jazzed about as it reminded me so much of one of my all-time favorites, St. Vincent. I feel like the wig gave her a fiercer alter-ego that truly punched on stage, so much so that she actually broke a guitar string halfway through "Wantin' Ain't Gettin'". Esme also played some great bops from "We Were Wild" including "Moth Song" and "Francine", which had everyone dancing and singing also to. I don't recall that she played any songs from her previous album, "Woman to Woman", so the majority of her show consisted of songs from "We Were Wild", which definitely has a sassier vibe to it.
She definitely had her sweeter vibe when she took off the wig to show her short, dark curls for the last few pieces, which included a new song called something like "Why Don't You Text Me Next Time" which had her typical bite in the lyrics that I thoroughly enjoyed. I really hope she releases that song soon. When we left the concert, my friend and I snagged a free concert poster from a table by the door, and I totally wished I had a Sharpie for her to sign it with! Conclusively, it was a great concert and an acoustically pleasant venue. Thank you for reading my concert and venue review, keep an eye out for more articles like this by following my Twitter or my Instagram for post updates!
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