The two sets I saw at the most recent original local music night at The Cannon were complete opposites of one another. Both sets were part of the weekly Wednesday night performance series put together by Carlos Wells, formerly of the State House. Becky Camille, one half of Violent Mae, opened the show. Wolf Harbor closed it. Despite being diametrically opposed to each other, they worked well together. Becky Camille’s set put me into an introspective mood. Her songs have a somewhat unsettling quality that, despite its potential to cause confusion, seemed helpful. Although her music tended towards the serious side, I don’t think calling it “melancholy” adequately describes the overall tone. Her songs blended together themes of isolation and longing with a palpable sense of resignation.  She moved back and forth between gentle melodies and unexpected surges of energy. Each time I thought I had found a solid grounding point in a song, the sonic landscape changed. As I reflected upon relationships, loss, and the complex relationship between wanting someone and realizing that you no longer desire to have them in your life, I also considered the contradictory nature of wanting something you know you won’t get back, and how two people can leave a relationship with completely different perceptions of what happened.  Wolf Harbor takes a turn at the Cannon. When Becky Camille completed her performance, Wolf Harbor took the stage. If Becky Camille encouraged me to look inward, Wolf Harbor pulled me back into the room. The change in atmosphere was immediate. Wolf Harbor’s set was characterized by physical activity and an outward-looking attitude.  Their sound was loose and contagious, merging elements of Americana, folk and punk without being confined by those classifications. As Wolf Harbor’s songs became livelier, I noticed that I started smiling. I liked that their happiness appeared genuine. Wolf Harbor’s music was neither overproduced nor simple, and it never implied that simply playing louder could resolve all of life’s challenges. There remained a certain amount of rawness below the surface. While Becky Camille encouraged me to lose myself in my thoughts, Wolf Harbor appeared to urge me to step outside of them and connect again with others in attendance. I needed that transition. Their music provided guidance naturally: engage with others through movement and smiles. Within two acts, one performer may cause you to confront repressed fears/anxieties while another may affirm your right to be happy. Neither state diminishes the validity of the other. Becky Camille created space for me to acknowledge emotions that I had been suppressing, while Wolf Harbor afforded me the opportunity to put those emotions aside for a short period of time. Nothing was resolved by the end of the evening; however, I felt very satisfied with the experience. The post Becky Camille Leads Us Inward, Wolf Harbor Back Out appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less