Manchester Orchestra / Cage the Elephant @ Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD, 5/8/11

This past Sunday, the Manchester Orchestra & Cage the Elephant co-headlining tour rolled through town, making a stop at Rams Head Live. I had no intention of intending the show until a day or so beforehand. Outside of a few songs here and there, I wasn't all too familiar with either bands' work, but, as is often the case, the best way you can check out a band is live, in concert -- that's where they show their true colors. Photographer Brett Dean joined me for the adventure. Below are some words and photos of the show.

All photographs courtesy of Brett Dean. Skip ahead to see a photo slideshow of shots from the concert.

SEE: Photos from Wye Oak's In-store Performance @ The Sound Garden, 3/8

On Tuesday, Baltimore's own Wye Oak celebrated the release of their new album, Civilian, with an in-store performance at The Sound Garden (my second home) in downtown Baltimore. I had never seen the band live before, but had always wanted to. So, luckily for me and everyone else, the band opted to play an electric set, powering through songs off Civilian. Despite not having their full rig of equipment onstage, Wye Oak still sounded massive. Singer/guitarist Jenn Wasner's voice soared and sounded quite strong, despite being a bit under the weather. The musical union and interaction of Wasner's guitar work and Andy Stack's drumming, bass and keys riffs is something one can truly get lost in. From hushed, meditative moments to wild storms of Crazy Horse-style guitar work, Wye Oak never confine their sound to one plain of existence. Wye Oak are just as beautiful, awe-inspiring, majestic, and momentous as their namesake.

Photographer Brett Dean was on hand to shoot some photos of the event, which you can view below.

All photos by/courtesy of Brett Dean

Wye Oak's new album, Civilian, is out now on Merge (US) and City Slang (Europe). Pick it up on Amazon, Amazon MP3, iTunes, or direct from Merge / City Slang.