Hiss Golden Messenger jam for joy at Turner Hall in Milwaukee

Hiss Golden Messenger delivered their message of joy to a small but receptive congregation of fans Thursday night at the Turner Hall Ballroom. The intimateness of the crowd provided ample room for those in attendance to get their groove on, and dance they did.

Hiss is out on the road in support of August’s Jump for Joy, their 11th studio album. The music on the new album is more upbeat and optimistic than that of the band’s previous release — 2021’s Quietly Blowing It. The new music is such a departure from that last effort that not a single track from Quietly Blowing It was included in the Milwaukee set, not even the hit “Sanctuary.”

Still, singer/songwriter M.C. Taylor and crew didn’t jump right into the new stuff. Thursday’s Milwaukee show began with a series of gems from 2016, 2017 and 2018. After a brief “instrumental” synth intro from bassist Alex Bingham (somewhat resembling one of the short instrumental tracks on Jump for Joy — “Alice” or “Little Pink Church” — but not quite), the band led by the snare of drummer Nick Falk, broke into “Jaw” from 2017’s Hallelujah Anyhow.

The group wasted no time effortlessly weaving together a thread of harmonious duo guitars from Taylor and Chris Boerner interplaying with keys by Sam Fribush, all set over the driving rhythms set by Bingham and Falk.

They followed suit with “Passing Clouds” and “Standing in the Doorway,” stand-alone tracks from 2018 and 2017, respectively — tracks that showcase the symbiotic synchronicity these five band mates share. And several times, like “As the Crow Flies,” the live rendition is a much more lively, almost jazzy, version compared to the original recorded version. In this case, the band evolved the 2016 track from Heart Like a Levee into a brief cover of Little Feat’s “Dixie Chicken” — “You can’t not stick that in there every once in a while,” said Taylor.

“We hope we play all the songs you came to hear,” he continued as the band then broke into fan-favorite “Biloxi.”

It was only then that Hiss began to sprinkle in material from the new album, beginning with “The Wondering.”

Let me write just one verse
That doesn’t feel like persuasion
That doesn’t feel rehearsed
That doesn’t need explaining
Ever since I was just a little thing
I’ve had that certain kind of hunger
Nothing satisfied me
Save that wide open wonder I’m still here Just can’t quit wondering

Indeed, after 25 years in the business, Taylor is still here — still wondering and from that wondering creating heartfelt songs that resonate. The new songs — “The Wondering,” “Jesus is Bored,” “Nu-Grape,” “Shinbone,” “Feeling Eternal,” “Jump for Joy” and “California King” — fit nicely alongside Hiss standards like “I Need a Teacher” and “Caledonia, My Love.”

Combined Taylor, Bingham, Boerner, Falk and Fribush are a jam band. One never stepping on another. All five playing as one. Extending grooves, but never inflated or overdone. Many jam bands are criticized for meandering too long in pretentious self aggrandizement. Hiss Golden Messenger complemented their recorded numbers with just the right pinch of grooviness to keep the crowd engaged and wanting more.

As for the opener, Sylvie — a trio of Ben Schwab, Keven Lareaux and Laura Jean Anderson — showed moments of brilliance.

Scwab and Lareaux paired on acoustic guitars and vocals with Anderson fluctuating between harmonious blends and expressive lead.

Their performance was a blend of corner coffee shop open mic and 1970s folk fest. When it all comes together — their take on The Beatles’ “Blackbird” was exceptional — there’s a sense that big things are on the horizon.

See the Full Gallery of the Night Here!

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