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Sunset Stallion at Canopy Club. (Photo by Abby Toms)

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• Sunrise for Sunset Stallion

Chad Warner’s songs have gone a long way since they first found a band to show them off just last spring. Sunset Stallion's first show was just last Easter, as Canopy’s Sunday night series that brought new bands onstage. Back then a trio, Wednesday night’s set sounded fuller and livelier than ever with the help of new bassist Chris DeBoo and Butterfly Assassin’s Bryan Kveton.

Chad began the set with the staccato piano riff of “Separated,” his and Hannah Newman’s vocal harmonies defining their trademark sound immediately. With the addition of cowbells and other various percussion toys on top of Marty O’Donnell’s solid and diversified drum work, the quintet further asserted their own unique sound.

The set continued with “Leaves,” “Calico Sky,” and other originals with Chad switching between guitar and keyboards. Bryan Kveton’s additions to each song filled in the gaps that previously set the group back, resulting in a thicker, more polished sound, but there were instances when Kveton’s and Warner’s parts got in each other’s way. The instrumentation sounded best when Kveton functioned more as a lead with less strumming and more melody, such as the group’s closer, one of their newer tunes.

The highlight of the night was Sunset Stallion’s unexpected cover of White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” putting their own spin to the song with a sparse, jazzy approach, allowing Newman’s vocals to really stand out. Hopefully, their spin on the cover was a statement of the band’s new direction as O’Donnell’s sparse and swung drums and Warner’s jazzy improv piano inserts really complimented the group’s character and hinted at their potential. With their first out-of-town date scheduled for Nov 21 in Chicago, Sunset Stallion seems more ready than ever to take things one step further. If you missed the show, make it out to the Courtyard Café on December 4 as they open for the other softer sounds of acoustic act Denison Witmer and Erin Fein of Headlights.