Coming Up: The Crane Wives at Iron City

Even with the expanse of music technology (electronic instruments, electric guitars and drum kits, and of course, artificial intelligence), something authentic and charming remains about a simple acoustic guitar and a scattering of vocals.

Grand Rapids’ The Crane Wives do dabble in rock ‘n’ roll excess with choruses that swell into musical triumphs, including bass and drums, but at their base, the songs hold an energy that could be stripped back to being sung around the campfire. Fortunately, the band has many more dimensions than that.

The 2010s folk-rock revival was the perfect entry point for the band. 2011’s Safe Ship, Harbored kicks off with what else, but a banjo, and the rickety drums carry the song along with the dual vocals of Emilee Petersmark and Kate Pillsbury. It feels familiar (there are definitely moments that remind me of modern-day Waxahatchee), yet also sounds utterly unique.

The next decade and a half saw the band find their footing and get comfortable in their own skin with albums named after animals: 2015’s Coyote Stories and 2016’s Foxlore. They received accolades from outlets like NPR and No Depression and were soon touring with the likes of the Avett Brothers, Lake Street Dive, and Rusted Root. With Spotify spreading their music far and wide, the band has amassed over 150 million streams and currently gets one million monthly listeners, a testament to both their popularity and their longevity.

As the band entered the 2020s, their power and performances grew more raucous and distorted. More atmospheric electric guitar and less folk. One could even see this modern-day iteration of the group sharing the stage with Fleetwood Mac. 2024’s Beyond Beyond Beyond is the latest snapshot of the group and deserves a listen just for the epic guitar solos and haunting harmonies.

The Crane Wives will be showing Birmingham the goods this Thursday, April 16 at Iron City. With a deep well of tunes to draw from and a variety of sounds, the band should be nothing less than spectacular. Get your tickets today.

Chris K. Davidson is a Birmingham writer and musician.