Photo Gallery: Tim Buchanan / Chloe Jacobson / Collidescope at The Snake Tank

Tim Buchanan at The Snake Tank. Photo by Aaron Rhodes.

Two or three dozen musicians, friends, and Oddities devotees gathered at The Snake Tank on June 16 to greet Oklahoma singer-songwriter Tim Buchanan at one of the first dates of his solo tour of America. Taking into consideration the night's mild weather and the fact that his set only required his acoustic guitar and his voice, Buchanan chose to set up his chair and serenade the crowd just a few yards from the backyard's bonfire. Joined by vocalist and Cherry Death bandmate Lenora LaVictoire, Buchanan's gentle country and folk numbers blended gorgeously with the crackle of the fire and the hum of the occasional passing car. The duo's voices conveyed the unfiltered melancholy of the Great Plains in a setting that couldn't be any more fitting and intimate. (It was also probably the quietest show to ever take place at The Snake Tank, which was another fun element).

Chloe Jacobson's supporting set took place in the basement, but her ability to immerse listeners in the world of her songs made it more than easy to forget about the dark, cramped setting. The maturity of  her songwriting and her impressive vocal range make each of her performances feel like a treat and a secret that the rest of the country isn't in on quite yet. She's made fans out of musicians with decades more experience and that isn't a phenomenon that's likely to stop any time soon.

Transplanted Iowa City duo Collidescope (consisting of Hadiza Sa-Aadu and Madi Monroe) opened the show with what roughly 20 minutes of a sound they refer to as "soulgaze." Mixing Monroe's dreamy guitar melodies with trip-hop drum programming and Sa-Aadu's powerful singing voice, the outcome was occasionally awkward, often beautiful, and consistently ambitious.

Full photo gallery here.