Park for free, grab a drink, sit back and enjoy the reggae. Tulips hosted Mishka and Of Good Nature on this Thursday night, and both acts had a great variety of reggae alongside their other influences and sounds.
The second summer appears to have finally ended, and a cool autumn breeze greeted me as I pulled into Tulips FTW. Perfect timing to grab something from their happy hour and enjoy Power Rangers projected onto the curtains hiding away the performance area. There’s a good bit of parking around the venue, which feels great in comparison to trying to go to Deep Ellum on any given day or night. But I digress. When the Power Rangers was turned off and the curtains pulled back, a stage and a side area revealed itself for fans to stand in and prepare for a night with Miska and Of Good Nature.
Mishka live feels like a more slimmed down experience than streaming his latest album This Love sitting in the car. Two guitars, a cajon, a synth and Mishka’s flowing voice. In the interview we did, Mishka said that he wanted to explore some more ballads in the latest album, evident by his smooth vocals highlighted up close and personal at the concert. Some of the highlights of Mishka’s evening included “Greater Good” and the range of his voice, as well as the performance of “Dressed in Black.” Some people may have wanted more reggae out of the performance, but Mishka’s latest evolution with “This Love” came through best in person, carrying the audience through the night and letting them float away.
If Mishka floated the audience away, Of Good Nature brought them right back. Jazzy, reggae, swingy, funky; all of these words are just small parts of the upbeat feel-good band that is Of Good Nature. The rhythm section rightfully got a highlight near the beginning of the set, and were key to getting everyone in the bar grooving to the beat. It always feels good to see not just one, but multiple bass solos, and the lead vocalist led well with rugged singing throughout the night. But I am biased to one particular thing.
The trombone! When I was learning the trombone, I was told early on that the slide afforded the trombone a sound that could come across like a smooth voice; Of Good Nature’s trombonist afforded exactly that. That trombone sound comes through so much better live, so much so that it’s almost a different version to hear the band perform a track that’s available online. The size of the venue meant that you could hear the trombone overlap with itself on the mic and hear the pre-mic and post-mic sounds, which is unique and super fun.
Mishka and Of Good Nature’s concert showing off their latest music (with Of Good Nature previewing “Don’t Give Up” releasing on Nov. 11) was, surprise, of good nature. You can stream Mishka’s latest album This Love on regular streaming platforms, and Of Good Nature’s latest EP will complete with “Don’t Give Up” on Nov. 11.