Concert Review: Olivia Chaney Makes National Sawdust Her Shelter

Even Olivia Chaney noted how silent and still her National Sawdust audience was; to the point that it almost felt magical. It is rare that even a man scratching his nose sounds too loud for the vicinity, but Shelter is a quiet, string led record. It pushes you to get quieter so as to consume every bit of its arrangements: kind of like nature. 

You have to be silent to hear the rain or the way the wind rustles the leaves, and, in some ways, you have to do the same for Olivia Chaney’s voice. It is so naturally crisp and soothing that you quiet yourself to absorb it, and feel like nature is giving you permission to daydream. From “IOU” to “Colin & Clem,” every song was vivid and felt grounded by the idea that your life is like a scientific discovery. Every day you do new studies, contrast differing results, and try to up the plans for the greatest invention you hope to let the world see: yourself. The idea that Heaven created me, but I invented myself is empowering and terrifying because self-control has never been as easy suit.

“I’m perfecting my imperfections,” Olivia sang, and the idea coursed throughout every track, but felt most culminated by my favorite song of hers, “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.” The song is literary in inspiration and feel, but alludes to something important that we do not like to acknowledge; people’s choices affect us. Even the choices people make for their self can impact the ones they love, and sifting through that truth is why Shelter discusses how we consistently clean our life so as to grow it further. After all, no “scientific discovery” does not go into test-runs and re-starts. As the piano twinkled and the violin cried over every rhythm, Olivia Chaney’s voice mulled through the wonders of life’s changes. 

Olivia had said in our interview that Shelter was a more concise work, and in comparison to her first album, when live, it truly is. It is so focused, despite “being born in a bathhouse ruin,” she laughed. Now on tour, Olivia Chaney’s show gives you a chance witness that you can be still for another, and, in turn. be it for yourself. For More Information On Olivia Chaney Click Here.