Nat Osborn @The Rookery (SOTD)

Last Thursday, the Kleinette and I were lucky enough to follow through on a recommendation to go see Nat Osborn & The Free Radicals open for the Honey Island Swamp Band at The Rookery. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay late enough to see the main act, but it was still a very worthwhile experience.



The Rookery is a cool venue, striking just the right balance between cool dive and upscale chic. The venue has two stories, the first of which is just the bar, the second of which has the small stage in an intimate room with a second bar. The bar has a $30 credit card minimum, so be sure to bring cash. The show we saw was $5/per, which seems to be the standard cover there for their shows, which is pretty good! They don't have "big names" like the Black Cat or the 9:30 Club, but they're well-located near the Foggy Bottom metro and off the Rock Creek Parkway, drinks aren't priced tooooo unreasonably (two mixed drinks put us back $16) and it's a fun, lively atmosphere.







As for Nat Osborn & the Free Radicals, they were a blast. Only Osborn and two other performers were present, which meant they had to ditch a lot of the instrumentation you hear on their album, which is more densely layered with horns and strings. Live, however, they really play up a more classically bluesy vibe, which we greatly enjoyed. Their music catchy and fun, and Osborn has a compelling stage presence, clearly enjoying performing and feeling the music strongly. The above video, the opening verse and chorus of "Yours Alone," can't really do justice to either the venue or the performance, but hopefully it gives some sense of the liveliness of the music and intimacy of the venue. The video below is the album version of "Claire." The self-titled EP has six fun tracks.







All in all, both artist and venue come recommended!
-The Kleiner