Article and Photos by: Linda Carlson

COLUMBUS, OH — You don’t typically associate blistering heat with a basement.  Normally, it’s a place to cool off from the summer sun.  But on June 13, 2017, The Basement, a lower level venue beneath the A&R Music Bar, was literally a sweltering pit of anticipation for California’s indie folk band Magic Giant.  The Basement is designed for closeness and intimacy, with low ceilings, dark walls and a small pit in front of the stage that is surrounded by tightly packed elevated viewing – everyone is close to the small, raised stage.  It’s a place to see performers up close and experience the performance in a personal way.

It’s the perfect way to experience a Magic Giant concert.  By their stage presence and energy, it is clear that the band loves to perform and loves their fans. Despite the heat, they turned the small stage into a place of collective joy and dance.  There was constant movement and a constant flow of rhythmic sound and vocals.

The talent is impressive.  Austin Bisnow on lead vocals and percussion, Zang on guitar and back-up vocals, and Zambricki Li on just about any stringed instrument imaginable, including the banjo and violin, both of which he played while simultaneously piping a tune on the harmonica…amazing!  It is no wonder that Rolling Stone touted this band in its recent “10 Artists You Need to Know: June 2017. ”  They’ve toured with The Revivalists and Mike Posner and are gaining momentum.

Their album, In The Wind, is a compilation of spirited songs that are brought to their peak in a live show.  These guys enjoy performing and appreciate their fans.  As tight as the quarters were, they managed to bring some boxes down into the pit and play a few songs completely immersed in the crowd.  And after the show, they stayed and met every fan, enthusiastically posing for pictures, laughing and talking with each person.

Cincinnati’s Motherfolk opened for Magic Giant.  They provided the audience with a high energy and fun set of their own original music. Co-founders and lead singers Nathan Dickerson and Bobby Paver put on a great show singing, playing guitar, dancing, jumping and joking with their bandmates.

Catch Magic Giant if you can…you will not be disappointed.  They are currently playing a few US cities in June before heading to Canada in July, then back to the West Coast.