Photo Gallery: No Magic / Rachel Cion at Ollie's Local

Ben Sauder of No Magic. Photo by Aaron Rhodes.

In anticipation of this August's fest, Manor Records' Saturday evening showcase at Ollie's Local featured two acts slated to perform at Manor Fest 3. Lawrence, Kansas' Ben Sauder, known better as No Magic, took the stage for a solo set with his acoustic. Sauder charmed his way through a tight 30 minute performance, his voice echoing through the barroom, as he occasionally swept a foot across the tiny corner stage and offered a small dance as he strummed through a bridge. He admitted that the light psychedelia of "Backspin," a single from his 2018 record "In Cocoon," sounded better with the full band treatment, but other compositions seemed to hit harder with the focus placed solely on Sauder's guitar and vocals.

The (mostly) quiet pop tunes of Rachel Cion were periodically challenged by the sounds of a cash register or Barley Bus brewery tour patron stumbling in, but triumphed nonetheless. Cion played several songs available on her SoundCloud page and gave brief insights into her songwriting -- one song was written while she was still in middle school or early in high school. Her vocal performance was stunning and unwavering as she made her way through her 36 minute set, concluding with a song by her band BigFatCat and a cover of Metric's "Combat Baby."

Full photo gallery here.