Head And The Heart video features the Waiting Room

The Head And The Heart

The Head And The Heart is one of my favorite bands from last year. I probably saw them more times than any other band (twice at SXSW and twice in Omaha) in 2011.

The folky Portland band's show at the Waiting Room was fantastic. Apparently, the cameras were rolling since you can catch  some shots of the Omaha rock club in the band's new video for "Down In The Valley."

The video shows the band in its van, loading equipment, doing sound check and performing at various places. You can see the the Waiting Room's loading ramp for a beat at the 1:23 mark and then a little more of the inside of the club at the 1:59 mark.

There also appear to be a couple of shots of the backstage room at the Waiting Room, too. It's not much, but it's still cool.

Watch the video below.

Live Review: The Head And The Heart at The Waiting Room

The Head And The Heart

Sunday was at least my fourth time seeing The Head And The Heart have made its toe-tapping campfire dance songs get better and better each time.

The Waiting Room Lounge was sold out on Sunday night, and while I've been there for many a sold-out night, I've never seen it packed up against the stage like that. And I've never heard a crowd go that wild for a band, especially a new band who was on its first ever headlining tour.

They sing songs about reading good books, playing music and enjoying the good life. "Heaven Go Easy On Me" personifies these themes the most (and carries the band's name in its lyrics) with the line "Don't follow your head/Follow your heart."

From the first song, the crowd knew the words and belted them out. It reached a crescendo with the end of "Rivers And Roads" where the band's harmonies and the crowd's shouts were so thick that I got chills down my back.

"Lost In My Mind" was the biggest number. From the first words, the crowd was into it and opening band Thao + The Get Down Stay Down jumped onstage to make for 14 performers.

Another highlight was the encore, which started with Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell performing "No One To Let You Down" and ended with the whole band performing "Down In The Valley." (Watch video.)

Only one part of the show was unfortunate. It was short. But that's no surprise considering the band has one album and a few new songs, which is what Mumford & Sons ran up against at this summer's Stir Concert Cove show.

Wait until this band has another album under its belt (you shouldn't have to wait long... they already played a bunch of new tunes on Sunday). You'll see them rise even higher, taking a course similar to Mumford or The Civil Wars.

They're incredibly talented, somehow able to take folk songs and make some into something you'd dance to and others that you'd be comfortable singing at church with a lot of other pretty voices. I mean, if my 2-year-old nephew knows the band well enough to say "rivers and roads" repeatedly whenever the band comes on, they must be doing something right.

They were on of my favorites at SXSW earlier this year and I can't wait to see where they go. Should be a fun ride, especially if crowds keep loving them like this.

Setlist and video come after the jump.