Hannah Cohen transformed the dreamy, intimate venue of Gallery Art Bar into her own universe on Saturday night. The final day of PYGMALION welcomed the lush soundscapes and siren vocals behind her latest album, “Earthstar Mountain.”
Cohen has spent over a decade carving her own place in the indie music scene. In 2018, she moved to the Catskills, a region in the state of New York. The move changed her writing completely — rooting her songs in nature and introspection.
Now in its 20th year, PYGMALION continues to bring a wide mix of artists to Champaign-Urbana. Day three featured artists like EarthGang, Hannibal Buress and Model/Actriz.
The set opened with singer-songwriter Sierra Sikora, who took the stage at 8 p.m. with only her stripped-down vocals and an acoustic guitar. She played tracks from her recent EP, “Confessions,” as well as some unreleased songs.
By 9 p.m., the venue’s walls glowed with projected flower graphics, giving the room a space-like atmosphere. Cohen, donning a brunette ’70s haircut, walked out to instant cheers from the crowd.
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From the first note, her vocals floated over steady bass lines and soft guitar. High and unwavering, her voice soared above the instruments, pulling the audience into her world.
Sarah Taylor, who drove three hours from St. Louis to see Cohen, said she had caught a glimpse of Cohen sound-checking just hours before the show.
“Her voice is so pure and angelic and so floaty and dreamy,” Taylor said. “Hearing that live is going to be crazy because I got a little snippet of it when she was warming up.”
When the twinkling notes of “Earthstar,” the lead single of her recent album, began, the audience erupted with excitement. Its whimsical intro set the tone for the rest of the night.
The song reflects the central themes of Cohen’s record: the nature of life’s uncertainty and the complexity of connection. The crowd swayed as her voice stretched above the layered sounds of the track.
The mood then shifted with “Dream Free,” a cover of a song by Cohen’s partner and collaborator, Sam Evian. At this moment, she set aside her guitar, moving freely on the stage as the groove loosened.
“We are actually here from California … I missed her show in LA because it was sold out,” said Tammy Vu, a fan of Cohen. “I’m only here because of her.”
By the time the song “Shoe” began, the music swelled slowly, layers building until Cohen’s siren voice broke through. The song eventually built up with force, and Vu lifted her own shoe high in the air, swaying.
As the track ended, Cohen leaned into the mic with a soft smile.
“I put a record out about six months ago called ‘Earthstar Mountain,’ and it seems like a couple of you guys seem to be familiar with it,” Cohen said. “So much that you took your shoe off for that song, so, thank you, honey bunny.”
The set picked up heat with “Summer Sweat,” a sultry, funk-driven cut from the album. Cohen’s voice melted into the R&B grooves as the band danced and grinned along, feeding off the crowd’s cheers.
KT Burke, another fan in the audience, said when she listened to Cohen’s music for the first time, she was hooked.
“I love how she combines different eras of music in a way that is fresh for today,” Burke said.
For the final track, Cohen dimmed the energy down with “Rag,” a song about the road that she lives on. The rest of her band fell away, leaving only Cohen and her guitarist on stage in a hushed duet.
When she finished, the audience broke into roaring applause, shouting for more. Cohen didn’t hesitate, returning quickly to deliver an encore with a song by Carrie Cleveland called “Love Will Set You Free.”
The rhythmic closer sent the venue spinning into motion again, proving Cohen’s range goes beyond her own catalog. The audience left buzzing, and Cohen’s gratitude was impossible to miss.
