Last night at Union Pool was a night for nostalgia, the audio equivalent of opening a time capsule and a bottle of old Bourbon among friends, with tight, meditative performances from headliner Matt Bauer as well as Melaena Cadiz and The Loom.

The Loom is a Brooklyn-based sextet that melds Appalachian folk with chamber pop, utilizing everything from ukulele to French horn—not to excess, but to perfection. Despite rich, layered melodies, The Loom still had enough punch to get the meekest of hipsters tapping his feet and the braver souls to full-out dancing.

The pace slowed with Matt Bauer, the way it becomes story time when the campfire settles. His Kentuckian roots percolated through his music both stylistically and lyrically. Gentle banjo and other minimalistic instrumentation elevated Bauer’s dusky voice, which croons of regional beauty, violence, and loss. His bandmates all excelled with Jeff Hudgins clarinet work being the butter on the bread.

All three bands possessed an intimacy among its members that reminds us why we love live performances.

Check out photos from the show below (click on any photo to view them as a slideshow).

All photos by Eddy Vallante