The Long Winters kicked off their North American tour with a smashing show at Richards, just in time before the upcoming equinox renders their name less poignant. It's been a couple years since the Seattle band played to a Van audience, and they were pretty excited to do so. You know: one of those shows where the band is pumped to play, and the playing is fully pumped.

Front man John Roderick could've rode on offbeat charisma alone, but he didn't. Nah, he sung his lungs out, ripped into his guitar, and inadvertently cracked a lot of jokes between songs. Maybe I wasn't giving the guy enough credit, but for pretty much the whole show I felt surprised at how well he sang and played. I dunno, maybe it was his casually awkward demeanor or slightly frumpy aesthetic that threw me off. He's like the guy you never would've guessed would be bursting at the seams with talent.

The entire sound was super tight without sounding too polished. Guitars rang out clear and fuzzy, organs sultrily throbbed, and Roderick crooned as if it was his last chance to wear his heart on his tongue. The drummer was down too, but I was too busy admiring his sideburns and glasses to pay proper attention.

And to keep things in check, I should mention that I wasn't even much of a fan before the show. I'd heard the album When I Pretend to Fall a few times, and liked it (although some of they lyrics are a bit too repetitive or obvious in the chorus). But live, it all took on a new life; a life where occasionally repetitive or obvious lyrics are inseparable from an emotional honesty that shouldn't be poetic in the first place.

Note that I'm not the only one raving. Roderick at one point explained that encores aren't his thing, and that he prefers to just play more songs. That's a great concept until after the show's "final song" when the crowd starts manically chanting "Every two years!" referring to the amount of time Roderick said should pass between encore performances. If this show was any indication of the rest of the tour, these boys are in for a doozy.

I also have to mention openers The Parlour Steps. I just can't believe I wasn't tuned into this local band before this show. Where the hell were they hiding out? Memphis maybe? They were a perfect pairing with The Long Winters, playing their honed brand of country-twang pop. Beautiful wailing vocal harmonies, foot stomping, a gorgeous girl on bass, and a singer who knows how to shake his hips with perfectly rebellious restraint. Definitely check out Theives of Memory on their Myspace page. They could be my new fave local band.

Oh. And Steve Rio opened the night with a few decent indie songs, and a lot of heavy, dark, uninteresting emo tracks that were way too loud. He plays tonight at the Railway Club.