And The Kids

Amourasaurus at the Pines Theatre,

Northampton, Aug. 30, 2015

I arrived to a clogged line outside the Pines Theatre at Look Park in Northampton. I would have been restless standing there in the heat if not for the Winterpills’ weepy, wrenching harmonies coming from inside the venue, which lulled me into submission.

Hosted by Signature Sounds, this was the inaugural Amourasaurus event. The one-day mini festival featured Winterpills, And The Kids, Parsonfield, JD McPherson, and headliners Lake Street Dive. Hundreds of guests and their picnic blankets lined the graded, grassy incline in front of the stage, which is bookended by two castle-like pillars and a backdrop of massive pine trees.

Shortly before 4 p.m. — in between Winterpills and And The Kids — a voice from the stage announced the show was sold out. Many audience members struggled to find space to sit. “You live and you learn,” one matriarch said to her two grumpy-faced companions as they squeezed their three butts into two square feet of space.

And The Kids took the stage at 4 p.m, the newest addition to the Signature Sounds roster. The crowd cheered. Needing no warm-up song, lead singer Hannah Mohan’s voice was hypnotizing from the start. Her low notes are soft and whispery, and her high notes lilt in and out of a shrieking, childlike plea. Rebecca Lasaponaro rocked out on the drums, head-banging much of the time. New bass player Taliana Katz kept it cool, her face mostly expressionless save for a few charming moments when she cracked a smile.

Their music evokes a sense of childlike play. “Let us take off our pants and we’ll argue less,” they sang in one chorus. Mohan, donning round-rimmed movie star glasses and a maroon sunhat, slipped periodically into a nearby green lounge chair as she sang.

“We’re really excited to be here,” shouted Mohan. “Love is not extinct, my friends!”

Their album is great, but And the Kids sound even better live. They clearly have a blast on stage. “Every time we drink water on-stage we drip it all over ourselves,” laughed Mohan after taking a swig in between songs.

Mohan’s voice was full-tilt 90 percent of the time, and her voice didn’t once waver or crack in the 45-minute set.

They have this pocket that keeps you tapping mindlessly along as their harmonies weave in and out of the steady, thumping beat.

At one point, Mohan and Katz bowed their heads facing each other, tapping their guitar and bass together in a battle-of-the-bulls moment. During the last bit of the final song, they lay on the ground with their feet facing each other and did bicycle kicks, ending with their feet flat together.

These kids sure do have fun, and so does their audience.•