Joshua Radin brings Carey Brothers to Indy for Valentine\’s weekend concert

Love was certainly in the air when Joshua Radin and Cary Brothers made a stop at the Deluxe Theater in Indianapolis recently and it proved to be a fantastic post-Valentine’s Day treat for all in attendance. Cary Brothers made his way to the stage at 7:30 and performed a handful of songs, including his first big hit- “Blue Eyes” on his own before Brandon Walters came out and accompanied him on electric guitar. The musicianship of Brothers and Walters was nothing short of impressive as they managed to create an incredibly full sound while they juggled guitars, piano/synths, and a kick drum. After they finished the energetic ‘Someday,’ Brothers took a moment to confess to the crowd “okay…that’s about as much as I can rock without a drummer!” but this self-deprecating jab belied the fullness of their sound. Before going in to the title track of his new album, Lovin On You, he talked about the filming process for its irresistibly adorable music video. The video features a grand total of twenty-two puppies romping around Brothers’ apartment and creating what Brothers described as a “less-than-pleasant” smell by the end of the day. The song was an instant hit with the crowd as they harmonized with Brothers during the infectious hook at the end of the song. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2015/Joshua Radin and Carey Brothers in Indy/Carey Brothers/\”] After an overall feel-good set, Brothers announced that he had one song left, and he planned to attempt an old cover but expressed some hesitation over being able to pull it off. After a fan in the crowd enthusiastically yelled out “You can do it!” An amused Brothers chirped back “Thanks bro!” and launched in to Crowded House’s ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’, which left the crowd pretty hyped up for Joshua Radin’s set. After a pretty lengthy intermission Radin came out and greeted the crowd before going straight in to “We’ll Keep Running Forever”, the opening track of his recently released Onward and Sideways. After a warm reception to the new material he mentioned he was going to do a pretty old song. This elicited quite an excited response from one audience member in particular, prompting a bit of laughter amongst the crowd. Despite his best attempts, even Radin couldn’t keep a straight face and eventually let out an endearing burst of laughter. Early on in the set Radin mentioned that that night was originally supposed to be an off day, but they decided to go ahead and book a show since they’d be driving through Indiana. It was easy to write this off as him just trying to warm up the crowd, but it quickly became apparent that no pandering was needed…the crowd was in Radin’s palm the entire night. Furthermore, as his happiness and genuine appreciation toward the crowd only seemed to increase after each song, that ‘pandering statement’ suddenly became totally believable. A quick check of the schedule revealed that taking on the Indianapolis date meant he would be performing a grueling 6 shows without a single day off. But this sacrifice on his part seemed to be repaid in full, as he seemed genuinely grateful and encouraged over the reception of his new music. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2015/Joshua Radin and Carey Brothers in Indy/Joshua Radin/\”] Halfway through his set he exclaimed, “What a really, really wonderful audience to come out on a very cold Sunday night! It’s very rare that people show up and pack rooms and actually listen, really listen on a pin-drop silence level, especially to new songs…that just doesn’t happen. I love that you’re being quiet but now I’m gonna ask you to be louder,” before launching in to one of his biggest hits, ‘I’d Rather Be With You.’ Radin kept the energy high throughout the remainder of his set and was joined by Cary Brothers for one last song before bidding the crowd farewell. All in all it was a great night, and a perfect way to close out a Valentine’s Day weekend. The tour continues until late March and will be winding its way around North America, making stops in the Midwest, Canada, the West Coast, and finally a few stops along the Atlantic coast. Although the Valentine’s Day haze has passed, this is a tour you definitely won’t want to miss. -Ashley Adcox