The humble M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel won’t be taking a car to their free July 4 show on Governors Island
The Beach at Governors Island
Free ferry from Battery Maritime Building
Sunday, July 4, free, 4:00
www.watertaxibeach.com
www.myspace.com/sheandhim
In 2008, actress Zooey Deschanel and musician M. Ward dazzled the music world with the release of their utterly charming, irresistible album VOLUME ONE, a collection of bright, cheerful 1960s-sounding songs with lilting melodies and infectious choruses. Deschanel handled the songwriting and lead vocals, while Ward took care of the production and arrangements and added lovely harmony. Earlier this year they released VOLUME TWO (Merge, March 2010), another endearing set of of original songs along with two covers, NRBQ’s “Riding in My Car” and Skeeter Davis’s “Gonna Get Along Without You Now.” New Yorkers who were shut out of She & Him’s sold-out July 6 show at Terminal 5 don’t have to get along without them, as Ward and Deschanel will be headlining a free July 4 concert at Water Taxi Beach on Governors Island, playing with the World Famous Headliner, DJ Todd-o-phonic Todd, and Brooklyn favorites Oakley Hall.
Zooey Deschanel leads She & Him through a heartfelt set on July 4 at Governors Island (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Update: It might have been very hot on Water Taxi Beach on Governor’s Island, but the free show featuring Oakley Hall and She & Him couldn’t have been much cooler. First up was Brooklyn psych country folksters Oakley Hall, who jammed out on such tunes as “If I Was in El Dorado,” “Color the Shade,” and “Year of Infinity Man” before closing out with a passionate version of Humble Pie’s “Thirty Days in the Hole.” After a way-too-long break in which vendors were dousing the front of the crowd with ice cubes and cold water, M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel took the stage, backed by the World Famous Headliners, traveling through most of the songs from She & Him’s two delightful records, the smartly titled VOLUME 1 and VOLUME 2. Deschanel sang lead vocals, often jumping up and down, banging her tambourine, then taking a turn at the piano and playing the ukulele, while Ward kept things groovin’ on lead guitar and harmonies, sending out a glittering mix of originals and covers based in 1960s pop. False information about the last free ferry back to Manhattan had many fans running to the docks as the band came out for an encore of “Roll Over Beethoven,” which was unfortunate, but it still was a great way to celebrate the Fourth and get ready for the fireworks. (You can find our slideshow of Oakley Hall here and She & Him here.)