[show_avatar email=jess@iwenttoashow.com align=left avatar_size=62]

On Thursday, Michigan-bred indie act Breathe Owl Breathe plans to sweep through Off Broadway, and will be preceded by two promising local openers, Jump Starts and Blood Pony. Having released their first album in 2004, B.O.B. has just recently begun receiving the recognition they deserve, earning positive feedback from reviewers and fans alike with Ghost Glacier from 2008, an April 2010 Daytrotter recording session, and last summer’s Magic Central.

Don’t be too quick to categorize Breathe Owl Breathe, and don’t doubt their sincerity either. Each of the three members is a multi-instrumentalist, playing everything from the cello, to the banjo, to the uncomfortably hip glockenspiel (which this author happens to love). So in today’s indie music fabric (call it what you will), Breathe Owl Breathe doesn’t ultimately cut a brand new cloth from a compositional standpoint. Here is what front man Micah Middaugh, and bandmates Andrea Moreno and Trevor Hobbs do – they write distinctly and memorably about nonconventional subjects, be it dog walking or sledding or prehistoric mammals, and the accompanying arrangements pull the listener in. Breathe Owl Breathe can be whispy without sounding weak, quirky without sounding ridiculous.

We imagine that Breathe Owl Breathe will be yet another Off Broadway gem; in two years we will say we were lucky enough to see them perform in our city in a small-ish, cozy room.

Locals Blood Pony and Jump Starts will introduce the evening in proper fashion, as the styles of both bands will complement the headliner. Blood Pony, rich pop with an unfinished charm and a serious undercarriage, will most likely play songs from their upcoming second album. Jim Walker, on guitar and lead vocals, leads what is generally a full stage of musicians through sets that wax and wane in intensity from song to song.

Jump Starts, formed in January 2010, explores the two-person band dynamic, which happens to be working particularly well for another certain emerging St. Louis duo. Jump Starts, however, features a female drummer (Sarah Ross) and a male guitarist (Justin Johnson). The pair shares vocal duties, and label themselves as a blues-acoustic-punk-pop band. Never having seen Jump Starts perform live, we’re looking forward to what Ross and Johnson bring to the table.

HEY ALSO…YOU CAN WIN ANY OF THREE PAIRS OF TICKETS OFF BROADWAY GRACIOUSLY PROVIDED TO I WENT TO A SHOW. WE WANT YOU TO HAVE FUN ON THURSDAYS, AND THIS IS THE WAY TO DO IT. JUST LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW (ANY REASONABLE COMMENT WILL DO), OR SAY SOMETHING ON THE RELATED FACEBOOK POST. Good luck, and we look forward to going to a show with you!!!

Finally…icy beard, anyone? Enjoy B.O.B.’s video for “Own Stunts”: