Warren Franklin & Empire! Empire!

Warren Franklin &
Empire! Empire!
The Court of Slam Alot
Austin, Texas

The night was full of musical energy from the group Warren Franklin from Rockford, Illinois, and the band Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate). Warren Franklin’s driving hit “Bro Downs Know No Bounds” reached out to the concertgoers with his piercing, catchy vocals, occasionally on the verge of yelling. The recording of this track features acoustic guitar, tambourine, and trumpets. However, for the live performance he trades an acoustic for an electric and the tambourine and trumpet for drums and a bass. “Please Return,” an austere song, lamented a lost lover. This theme of missing his ex-girlfriend is a common theme throughout much of his work. He continued on to play “Let Me Down Easy” and “Your Heart Belongs To The Midwest,” but the most popular among the audience was “Some Form Of Irony.” With cynical lyrics such as, “Honestly, no one’s gonna care about the songs I sing / Unless they can include some form of irony / No one’s gonna care about the truth,” the song is a biting criticism of aspects of today’s culture that resonate with many. The track begans softly and honestly and built to a fist-pumping climax.

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Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) performed soon after Warren, slowing down the vibe of the show, but certainly not dominating the quality (or the length of the song names). Harmonized guitar riffs began the set (and most every one of their songs). The crowd could be seen bobbing their heads to the music’s slow, driving sound. “The Loneliness Inside Me Is A Place” offered a contemplative reflection; “The truth is much more complicated than that / And I am still trying to learn how / Time is a gift as much as it is a burden.” The honest tone in Keith’s voice shown though the evening’s performance. Another crowd favorite was “Everything Rests on Your Small Shoulders” – one of Empire! Empire!’s peppier tracks. The somber and beautiful closing was named “I Would Have Stolen You a Whole Orchestra.” The performance was both serious with longing lyrics and whimsical, when at one point while tuning the guitars, the bassist, Bo Sonnenberg, told the audience jokes from Laffy Taffy wrappers. It was just the right amount of each that led to the audience enjoying a night of music.

by Hunter Tolbert