Looking back on it now more than a year later, one of the things I most enjoyed about the 2012 Heavy Kingdom debut from Wino & Conny Ochs (review here) was that it wasn’t one-sided in any way. Whether it was either player leading through one song or another, Wino working in an electric guitar solo, Ochs‘ unrepentant emotionality, or just the mood of an individual track, for what was a collection of pretty minimalist arrangements, the two songwriters managed to capture a surprising amount of variety. It wasn’t all downers, it wasn’t all upbeat hopes for a better life.

Dynamic is the word I’m looking for, and the live performance was even more so. I was lucky enough to see Wino & Conny Ochs support Heavy Kingdom more than once, in Brooklyn and at Roadburn 2012, and between tossing in new material and covers not present on the album and reworking vocals on songs from how they appeared in the studio versions to better hone in on the duo’s developing harmonics, both times I caught them, it was an exciting and spontaneous show. As this week’s Wino Wednesday clip of “Vultures by the Vines” demonstrates, that was apparently the case throughout their European tour.

Which makes sense. Ochs and Wino got together in 2011 while the latter was on tour for his Adrift solo acoustic debut (review here), so that their chemistry should grow with increased road time isn’t unexpected. That’s usually how it works with any collaboration, band or even solo performer. This video for “Vultures by the Vines” was taken just 10 days before I saw them at Roadburn, so it’s pretty consistent with where they were at around that time. There are a couple cuts from the same show out there, but I liked this one best. Hope you enjoy as well.

Happy Wino Wednesday:

Wino & Conny Ochs, “Vultures by the Vines” Live at Cafe Cairo, April 3, 2012

Conny Ochs‘ new album, Black Happy, is available now. More info at his Thee Facebooks page or the Exile on Mainstream website.

Tags: Heavy Kingdom, Wino, Wino & Conny Ochs, Wino Wednesday

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