photos and story by Chloe Ekberg
Last Thursday, Laura Burhenn and Johnathan Rice met a sizeable population of floral-patterned shirts and mood lighting that made huge shadows on the well-traveled floor.
As the late show began, the flowers bloomed and the shadows turned to trees. The music made a metaphorical garden full of roses for me, with billowing trees casting shadows on the grass. But Pageturners Lounge, outside my mind's eye, was packed full of bright-eyed spectators who had come to hear the hauntingly beautiful voices of The Mynabirds’ Burhenn and the closing set from Rice.
With just her vocal cords and Pageturners’ oak piano, Burhenn sent her delicate and soft sounds floating around the room. Burhenn’s sweet songs first began when she performed as a solo artist in Washington D.C., and continued with band Georgie James, which released their debut LP on Saddle Creek Records. Two albums into her work with The Mynabirds, Burhenn is now an Omaha native.
When Rice began, I could almost feel the breeze through my hair as his songs took me to a magnificent, open yard of foliage. There's an Earthy and natural feel to Rice’s voice, and I was mesmerized by the slow drum beats, low bass and soft guitar plucks through the night.
So next time you walk through a rose garden or open yard with looming trees with music on hand, make sure Laura Burhenn and Johnathan Rice make the playlist.
See photos of the concert here:
Chloe Ekberg is a Hear Nebraska multimedia intern. She is very excited to know Laura Burhenn worked with The Postal Service. Reach her at chloee@hearnebraska.org.