City Winery hosted a slew of great artists on Monday night, including the talented Aiofe O’Donovan, an acoustic rendering of the jam band moe., and the supergroup Trigger Hippy. As per my usual M.O., I wound up at the venue over an hour and a half before the first act. Fortunately for me, I was able to experience the luxury of the venue before the masses arrived.

City Winery, created in 2003 by Knitting Factory founder Michael Dorf, is, by their website’s description, “a comfortable place to experience fine wine, enjoy great food, and see world-class live music in a sit-down, intimate setting.” Honestly, this is an incredibly apt description of the scene. Very comfortable, very friendly, and very delicious. If you happen to find yourself at the Winery, definitely order the Delicata Squash Arancini. I have no idea what most of those words mean, but the dish was amazing.

Okay, okay, I know… this is a music blog. I’m establishing some ambiance. It’s important, okay?!

The show began with singer/songwriter Aiofe O’Donovan. O’Donovan is perhaps best known for her work in the bluegrass band Crooked Still, but she’s got some damn good chops as a solo artist as well. With a beautiful voice and a penchant for songwriting, O’Donovan serenaded the early-arrivers with a selection of original songs. She closed the set with a spot-on rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “You Turn Me On, I’m A Radio,” warming up the audience for things to come.

Shows at the Winery move quickly, and, not more than twenty minutes later, moe. took the stage. True to the title “moe.Acoustic,” Rob Derhak, Al Schnier, and Chuck Garvey came equipped with acoustic guitars (well, an acoustic bass for Rob). They got right to work, jamming their way into a “St. Augustine” opener, much to the delight of all.

Moe. kept things rolling with an “All Roads Lead to Home,” an upbeat, happy song. This led to a pairing of songs from the band’s most recent album, “Smoke” > “Chromatic Nightmare.” The former is a contemplative tune, sung emphatically by Al. The latter is perhaps one of the band’s more intriguing compositions of late. An instrumental, “Chromatic Nightmare” features the lead melody on the xylophone. Additionally, Al swapped out his acoustic guitar for a mandolin on “Chromatic Nightmare,” adding some down-home trebly tones to the tune.

The result, as my friend described it, sounds like “skeletons dancing in an old cartoon.” It sure does.

The set continued with an excellent version of “Crackers,” also with Al on mandolin, and the soulful “Gone.” Finally, predictably-yet-enjoyably, the set concluded with “New York City.” An obvious choice, not only due to location but also due to acoustic-ability, the song was easily the highlight of the performance. The band’s enthusiasm for the city and the music poured through during “New York City,” and was equally reciprocated by the audience.

While this wasn’t the overly-hippified crowd that typically turns up for moe. shows, the band did suggest that fans “dance on the tables.” Of course, they also joked that they’d never be invited back to the venue. However, the set proved to be a mellow one. Slightly less jamming than a typical moe. show, but, for a short acoustic set, these guys brought their A-game, and it was a real treat to watch.

After moe.Acoustic, Trigger Hippy took the stage. Trigger Hippy is a supergroup, founded initially in 2009. With some personnel changes throughout the years, the band currently consists of singer Joan Osborne, guitarist Tom Bukovac, and Black Crowes members Steve Gorman on drums, Nick Gorvik on bass, and Jackie Greene on guitar and keyboards. The band’s music is soulful and seductive, drawing you in with sweet harmonies and rocking you out with some glorious musicianship.

Trigger Hippy recently released an EP for Record Store Day last November, and most of the music they played came from that album. You can check out some of their music via the band’s Soundcloud preview, streaming below:

One thing is for sure, this band means business! Jackie Greene is an absolute powerhouse, switching between guitar and keyboards seemingly at will, and playing his ass off on both instruments. Tom Bukovac can wail on the guitar too, playing some pretty enthralling solos in most of the songs. But, the band’s style depends on Joan Osborne. With her sexy, sultry singing, Osborne shines as brightly as her blonde hair, leading the band into ecstasy time and time again. She can bring it high and take it low… wherever the music is supposed to go.

So, sufficed to say… I had a great time seeing these bands at City Winery last Monday. While a dinner and a show isn’t my typical concert experience, it’s certainly nice to sit back and watch the magic as it unfolds.

Keep on livin’ for live music!

-David Melamed (@DMelamz)