Sun Kil Moon

Stark, spare, and haunting, Sun Kil Moon—the latest group headed by former Red House Painters leader Mark Kozelek—can be a tense and beautiful live experience. The band, which consists of Kozelek on acoustic guitar, a keyboardist, and some very gentle, occasionally powerful drumming presents itself as one of the quietest live shows you're likely to see.That works in Sun Kil Moon's favor, though.

Kozelek's songs feel like impassioned, dusty prairie campfire songs. His rich, mellow baritone voice commands an intensity that often belies the gentle nature of the austere accompaniment. In fact, the quiet nature of a Sun Kil Moon show means that absolutely no one else in the audience wants to hear someone arguing with their girlfriend on a cell phone or talking hockey playoffs during the set (and everyone will hear you if you're that guy.) From the front of the stage,

Kozelek will banter with the audience, but if he's fighting over conversations or the shimmering glow of manic texters in the crowd, he'll call those offenders out from the stage. (“You keep talking; I'm only pouring my guts out here,” he called out during one particular show) That can feel a bit unsettling when it happens (and it does, often), but at this point its likely as much a part of the show as the lovely songs the band performs. It ups the tension and enhances the subdued and often sad songs in the Sun Kil Moon catalog.