On Tuesday night scores of happy, smiling couples trotted off to the Crooked Still show at the Bottleneck. At the urging of my friend, I stepped outside my indie rock / techno bubble to catch the show and see what all the hubbub was about. I figured since I couldn’t make it out to Winfield this year, this would be the next best thing.

The last time Crooked Still came out this way was for Wakarusa in 2007. I almost got the feeling that their fans had been anxiously waiting since that show, counting the days until Crooked Still would return in all their folky glory. So it was no surprise that the fans were more than elated, whoopin and hollering throughout the entire show.

The band did not disappoint. The music isn’t really my cup of tea, but I couldn’t help but admire their energy. It felt pretty alive, for not having any percussion.

Most members of the band have traditional backgrounds, which might explain why I didn’t hear a single imperfect note the entire night. They had an excellent relationship with their audience (I called them The Crooked Still army, since they stomped and marched in unison to most of their songs), and spent a lot of the evening cracking jokes and getting chatty with the folks in the crowd.

Also, I love bands that obviously look like they enjoy each other. As I understand it, while recording their latest album Some Strange Country, they got snowed in and were pretty much stuck with each other (and their music) for a few days. Normally being snowed in would drive most people nuts, but as the members of the group made faces at each other (the banjo player even stuck his tongue out at the singer), I got the feeling that the experience only made them closer.

I don’t think I’ll see another band as polite and smiley as this one pass through Lawrence for a while.