RedFeather has stretched beyond the boundaries of the heady mountain-hewn folkadelia that first introduced Mark Etherington’s haunting high-reaching calls to Tampa Bay denizens, into straight-ahead psych rock with modern synthesized experimentations and rootsy hues.
The lineup has shifted slightly in the time since the band released their 2013 debut EP — T.C. Smith remains on drums and percs, but Rob Kelley bangs bass now and Marcus Sumner backs Etherington’s acoustic strums and percussive outbursts with electric guitar solos and mood-setting synths. Their contributions and Etherington’s own creative evolution with these musicians resulted in this year’s five-song Moon EP, which dives into straight-up Pink Floyd “Breathe” territories with lead-off track “Luna Rise,” while the tumbling and roiling rhythms of follow-up “City Dwellers” are both propulsive and slinky and feel like an unexpected marriage of The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” and post-Kid A Radiohead. They return to their tribal hooting roots with closing track “Welcome Home,” Etherington’s warm and soaring vocals repeating the song’s title and refrain, and making for a nice close to the band’s next chapter, which, despite its somewhat derivative nature, is still a strong one.
Critics Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
RedFeather performs a few sets’ worth of music beginning at 8:30 p.m. this Fri., July 8, at Ale and the Witch in St. Petersburg. Admission is free. Facebook invite is here. They'll also be appearing at EarthDance Florida this September.
