The Accidentals at Mercury Lounge

Katie Larson & Savannah Buist

Savannah Buist and Katie Larson met in 2011 at high school in Traverse City, Michigan. The orchestra leader asked for volunteers to play an event and Larson, a 15-year-old freshman cellist, and Buist, a 16-year-old sophomore violinist, were the only students who raised their hands. Larson visited Buist's house to discuss their impending project, and Larson played a song on Buist's guitar that she had not played for anyone prior to their meeting. They formed the Accidentals in 2012, naming the band after the accidental note in music that is outside the most recently applied key signature. Between 2012 and 2013, the Accidentals performed more than 500 live shows while Larson and Buist maintained a 3.9+ GPA. From 2012-2014, the Accidentals recorded two original albums and an EP, were guest artists on 15 others, scored two films, and landed song placements in commercials, documentaries, and music compilations while playing over 700 live shows. Then they graduated high school. In 2015, Buist and Larson scored original pieces for a 72-piece orchestra, an opera-dance project with Son Lux, and a smaller 30-piece string ensemble while touring the US extensively. The Accidentals' third album, Odyssey, will be released on August 18, 2017.

Headlining at Mercury Lounge tonight, the Accidentals performed as a quartet, with the addition of guitarist/keyboardist Jake Allen and drummer Michael Dause, and the foursome interchanged a van-load of stringed and percussive instruments. The lyrics were rooted in stories, and the melodies inclined towards pop to folk, but also borrowed elements from country, jazz and classical. The effect was light and bouncy, but with arrangements far more complex and mature than one would expected from such youthful musicians. Intriguing compositions and spry personalities made the Accidentals performance supremely charming and engaging.

Visit the Accidentals at www.theaccidentalsmusic.com.