LIVE: The von Trapps at SPACE, Evanston, IL (3/31/15)
It’s obvious from the moment the von Trapps walk onto a stage that they’ve been performing for most of their young lives. The four siblings — Sofia, Melanie, August, and Amanda (who spoke with REBEAT recently) — are the great-grandchildren of the Captain and Maria Von Trapp, made famous by The Sound of Music, and much like the earlier generation of von Trapps, they’ve learned from an early age how to charm an audience. Their between-song banter is disarmingly goofy and giggly, but their performances are professional and polished.
At SPACE in Evanston, IL last week, the von Trapps delivered an eclectic set of original songs and music from around the world. The set was heavy on songs from Dream A Little Dream, the album they recorded with Pink Martini in 2014, taking the audience on a journey from Israel (the Hebrew lullaby “Hayaldah Hachi Yafa Bagan,” whose title translates to “The Prettiest Girl in Kindergarten”) to France (“Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour,” first recorded by Françoise Hardy), and back to the band’s adopted hometown of Portland with the original song “Storm.” (“It rains all the time in Portland,” Sofia explained, “but it’s interesting rain.”)
“Kuroneko No Tango,” a Japanese translation of an Italian tango about a mischievous cat, was the perfect encapsulation of the von Trapps’ melting-pot approach to music-making; and their a cappella performance of “Rwanda Nziza,” the Rwandan national anthem, was breathtaking. (Amanda related, “We learned this in the car on our way to perform it for the president of Rwanda…and I guess he liked it, because he gave August a cow.”) Even without the dozen or so members of Pink Martini backing them up, the von Trapps’ live sound was as full as the recording, between their lush, four-part harmonies, their strong backing musicians on piano, drums, and upright bass, and the addition of August on ukulele, Sofia on melodica, and Melanie on guitar.
Of course, the band paid tribute to the musical that made their family famous. Sofia performed a sultry version of “My Favorite Things” in Portuguese, and the audience sang along on a heartfelt rendition of “Edelweiss.” The spirited “Die Dorfmusik,” originally performed by pre-World War II German vocal ensemble the Comedian Harmonists, served as another poignant reminder of music that was silenced under Nazi rule. They related the story of how they started singing as children, with and for their grandfather (portrayed as “Kurt” in the musical and film) and laughed about their parents’ lack of musical ability (“They can’t sing at all,” Sofia claimed).
Throughout the night, the von Trapps’ set hinted at the new indie rock direction they’re taking on their forthcoming EP, Dancing in Gold. Their admiration of contemporary acts like Fleet Foxes was evident from their opening original song, and they even encored with the Fleet Foxes’ own “Blue Spotted Tail.” Another new song, “People Like Us,” combined Latin rhythms with straight rock drums and staccato ukulele strumming, with the siblings trading lead vocals — in the hands of a different band, it might have sounded chaotic, but for the von Trapps, it seemed perfectly natural. They closed their regular set with the new EP’s title track, which bursts with the von Trapp trademarks of hopeful lyrics and soaring harmonies, making it clear that, wherever they go next, musically or geographically, they’ll be keeping the joy and optimism of their family story alive.
Dancing in Gold will be released on April 14.
(All photos via evanstonspace.com.)
