HOMESHAKE’s Peter Sagar took the stage at the The Silent Barn in Brooklyn, NY with a languorous smile and a glint in his eye. Hailing from Montreal, Canada, he exudes slacker rock with a groovy R&B twist of the hips and supinely lilting vocals that give him a lo-fi homegrown feel.
From the second he took the stage the crowd was entranced by his purring and effortless vocals that meshed perfectly with the synth wonderland that lifted a sickeningly infectious bassline.
He started us off slowly with the gentle synth wave leading into the popular “She Can’t Leave Me Here Alone Tonight.” In direct contrast to the calm and wavy baritone distortion of the introductory backup vocals, the audience went into an indie rock frenzy. The shouts of adulation were perfunctory with each guitar riff or mellow bass twang that opened every song. But with a simple wave of Sagar’s hands, the volume of audience would dip to a mere murmur, waiting in hushed anticipation to greet the next track with equivalent enthusiasm.
Halfway through the show, his set was marked by one of the songs he is most famous for, “Give it to Me”, which confirmed my expectation that HOMESHAKE has no interest in playing a show traditionally. Most artists would open and close with their most mainstream and popular songs, but HOMESHAKE saw no difference between a song with 2 million hits or an unheard B-side exclusive. He played knowing that we were an audience that knew every word, rhythm, and riff regardless of ratings, and he strung us along for the pure thrill of the ride. With “Give it to Me” especially, he undeniable embraces velvety allure that weaves its way through the track with the help of dreamy and creamy electronically-fused vocals. The highlight of the song, however, is the 8-note guitar riff leading up into the chorus, fused with sex appeal and punctuated temptation that peaks abruptly – only to fall back into the seductive and coyly calm refrain of “give it to me, give it to me baby.”
Sagar switched gears slightly when moving into the song, “Call Me Up” – while the show maintained the sultry mood established by his other songs, “Call Me Up” is noticeably more aged in the best of ways. Right off the bat, the audience launched into sing-along mode as the ridiculously catchy syncopated trumpet sample quicly established the R&B 80s funk vibe of the song.
Probably exaggerated by the intimate venue and low ceilings, there was an undeniable sense of camaraderie in the crowd that night, a non-verbal contract between us and HOMESHAKE that tonight was just for the two of us: him, and every individual member of the audience. HOMESHAKE was vibing and grooving up on stage as if he was back in his bedroom producing tracks on the fly. And we were flies on the wall, just happy to be there.
From the second he took the stage the crowd was entranced by his purring and effortless vocals that meshed perfectly with the synth wonderland that lifted a sickeningly infectious bassline.
He started us off slowly with the gentle synth wave leading into the popular “She Can’t Leave Me Here Alone Tonight.” In direct contrast to the calm and wavy baritone distortion of the introductory backup vocals, the audience went into an indie rock frenzy. The shouts of adulation were perfunctory with each guitar riff or mellow bass twang that opened every song. But with a simple wave of Sagar’s hands, the volume of audience would dip to a mere murmur, waiting in hushed anticipation to greet the next track with equivalent enthusiasm.
Halfway through the show, his set was marked by one of the songs he is most famous for, “Give it to Me”, which confirmed my expectation that HOMESHAKE has no interest in playing a show traditionally. Most artists would open and close with their most mainstream and popular songs, but HOMESHAKE saw no difference between a song with 2 million hits or an unheard B-side exclusive. He played knowing that we were an audience that knew every word, rhythm, and riff regardless of ratings, and he strung us along for the pure thrill of the ride. With “Give it to Me” especially, he undeniable embraces velvety allure that weaves its way through the track with the help of dreamy and creamy electronically-fused vocals. The highlight of the song, however, is the 8-note guitar riff leading up into the chorus, fused with sex appeal and punctuated temptation that peaks abruptly – only to fall back into the seductive and coyly calm refrain of “give it to me, give it to me baby.”
Sagar switched gears slightly when moving into the song, “Call Me Up” – while the show maintained the sultry mood established by his other songs, “Call Me Up” is noticeably more aged in the best of ways. Right off the bat, the audience launched into sing-along mode as the ridiculously catchy syncopated trumpet sample quicly established the R&B 80s funk vibe of the song.
Probably exaggerated by the intimate venue and low ceilings, there was an undeniable sense of camaraderie in the crowd that night, a non-verbal contract between us and HOMESHAKE that tonight was just for the two of us: him, and every individual member of the audience. HOMESHAKE was vibing and grooving up on stage as if he was back in his bedroom producing tracks on the fly. And we were flies on the wall, just happy to be there.