[photo by CJ McGregor]

Swedish Folksters, Junip, have made waves this year with their second album, Junip. They’ve rode a wave of momentum right into tonight’s concert with their single “Line of Fire” being featured in the series finale of Breaking Bad. The band’s music hits a soothing and sweet spot with its acoustic guitar and chill tinges of electronica. They played tonight to a legitimately packed audience.

Dawn of Midi opened the show, an intriguing trio that’s forte is in extended, instrumental compositions. Their tools of the trade are grand piano, standing bass and drums. They play deliberate, repetitive notes that approach ambient in sound. If you’re not ready for it, it can be rough on the ears, as seen by a somewhat distracted audience as their set went on. I loved them though, finding myself enchanted by the rhythm. They played a near hour set without pause, sourcing it mostly from their record Dysnomia, which they released this year.

Junip live is a band of five, with frontman and acoustic guitar specialist Jose Gonzalez in the center of the formation. Band co-founder Tobias Winterkorn handles dual keyboards, and the rest of the lineup is filled out with a dedicated percussionist, and two fellows who handle varying utilities like synth, bass, and tambourine. The music never hits too high a tempo and set a pretty relaxing tone.