Music Review // Stephen Wilson Jr. "Calico Creek" (Live at the Print Shop)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Upi0I5LmO0

Seeing a performance that is Live at the Print Shop is about as close as you can get to experiencing it in person.  Stephen Wilson Jr has this sound like Bruce Springsteen meets Johnny Cash and the guitars can be quite apparent, which is nice because there are close up of them.  You can tell that the people who are behind filming this know what they are doing because as the percussion kicks in, you can see the camera switch angles to the drummer and that's just something you can't teach.

There are parts within here around the vocals that you can really see.  The way that Stephen Wilson Jr sings seems to be a lot bigger and perhaps more raw than in a studio recording.  At one point he even yells, as he backs away from the microphone and the way that you can see that is just perfect.  The video being filmed the way that it is definitely gives you the best quality experience for a live performance without actually being there yourself and that's why everyone should be watching The Print Shop videos.

I like to think of a live music performance the way I would any event I experience in real life.  A sporting event, for example, would be the same when you go to it live versus watching at home.  One of the biggest differences you'll notice is that when you watch at home, the cameras provide the shots they want you to see.  When you're there yourself, you get to choose where to look.  I don't always agree with where the cameras are angled if I'm watching baseball at home, but I am in full agreement with where The Print Shop sets up their scenes and that helps make what they do so much more important.

Songs like "Calico Creek" make you want to sing along, but as the lyrics of this song say: "And every year some kid'll drown in Calico Creek" which makes me wonder if that is an actual problem that the creek has.  Luckily, Stephen Wilson Jr. is doing a full set from The Print Shop on October 17th 2024.   Not only will he be performing songs but he will also be sitting down to tell stories never heard before about these songs.  It's such an immersive experience that will not only have you pumped for the music but satisfying your curiosity about the songs as well.