Dead Man's Bones Paper Ships

Horror theme, the actor from The Notebook, and a children's choir.  At face value, the combination seems nothing more than a zany gimmick: just another ploy for a Hollywood spotlight-loving celeb to extend time in the limelight.  This is, however, not the case for Dead Man's Bones: a duo yielding a truly unique nostalgic, soul-packed sound.

Dead Man's Bones is actor Ryan Gosling and his friend Zach Shields.  It is not surprising that most of the press focuses on Gosling's storyline as an actor pursuing a musical career.  He deserves credit, however, for refraining from exploiting his acting fame to gain band awareness; instead allowing his songs to speak volumes for themselves (I listened to DMB for two weeks before knowing Gosling was in the group, let alone the lead singer).  His humble nature was made evident when he tweeted two weeks their performance in Los Angeles: "we're playing fyf with a lot of good bands. we're nervous. come save us from ourselves."  The display of nerves and respect for fellow fest-players was admirable, yet unintentionally ironic, because as FYF Fest came to a close it was clear that Dead Man's Bones was one of the better acts of the day.

Gosling and Shields' most daunting obstacle was fitting a Halloween-themed act into the context of a summer music festival.  The show opened with the playing of eerie carousel music as a pale Johnny Depp look-alike took to the stage (see photos).  He began crazily snipping at a folded paper with his lengthy, shiny scissors while Shields and Gosling watched from the side of the stage.  After a good minute of manic shearing, the man unfolded the paper to introduce the upcoming act: "DEAD MAN'S BONES" "“ honestly, I was impressed with the theatrics.  The twosome assumed their positions as the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir joined them, each child dressed as a deceased historical/fictional character (Abe Lincoln, James Dean, Betty Boop, Marilyn Monroe, and Santa Claus were just some of the supporting back-up singers).

But hold all of the production aside, and Dead Man's Bones proved that they were a legitimate festival contributor through the quality of music alone.   Ryan Gosling is a hell of a crooner and his voice stays true in a live performance (reminiscent of Elvis, if he were to sing ghoulishly).   The band opened with "Your Name in Stone" which highlights Gosling's deep, mournful singing offset by the children's refrains and the twangy plucking of his nylon-stringed guitar.  The lyrics are as poignant as Ryan's heartwrenching cry: "We come here alone / And all that's left / Is your name in stone."  Zach Shields deserves much praise for his own vocal contributions, especially on one of the group's choice cuts in which he takes the lead: "Pa Pa Power."  His tone is very innocent and fragile (near opposite of Gosling's), and is a perfect match for the organ-esque keys "“ also working ideally to beseech the children's chorus.  Overall, the melodies and intonation were consistently teeming with soul, effectively incorporating the choir in doo-wop elements that would make Sam Cooke proud.

Additional photos, click for larger view:

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With an exceptionally distinctive live performance and impressive retro-soul vocals, Dead Man's Bones deliver an eclectic experience you will not want to miss.  Be sure to check out their self-titled LP Dead Man's Bones which also features the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir.