Johnnyswim and Marc Scibilia at the Velvet Underground

Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano, collectively known as Johnnyswim, made the most of their Toronto debut. The Nashville-based duo is touring to support its second full-length album, Georgica Pond. Though they are not as well-known in Canada as they are South of the border, they sold out the Velvet Underground and fans braved a frigid winter night to see them play.

Buffalo native Marc Scibilia opened the show. With his beanie and his guitar, he was charming and engaging, and quickly had the audience in his sway. He set up his songs perfectly, reeling the crowd in with his tunes.

The Velvet Underground, an intimate club on Queen Street West, is small and Johnnyswim painted it as their living room, welcoming the crowd in from the cold. It felt like a house party, with a warm sense of connectedness running through the room. Johnnyswim plays a contemporary style of folk-rock that reflects a multitude of influences. They kicked the show off with Hummingbird, at tune that leans more to rock with its electric guitar hook.

The Johnnyswim sound is easy to like, but what elevates it is the intimacy of the lyrics. The intimacy is authentic; Ramirez and Sudano are not just musical partners, they are married. That tight relationship seeps into their lyrics, if not literally, then certainly emotionally. As a lead in to the French influenced love song, In My Arms, Sudano and Ramirez told the story of their engagement in Paris. Later, Sudano gently spoke of a song that started as a lullaby for their son. It was inspired by a place of dreams and hopes, rooted in her childhood, where her mother, 70’s legend, Donna Summer, had dreamed about the future.

Johnnyswim’s touring band lifted the production on many of the songs, but some of the show’s highlights were the quieter moments when the duo sang alone with just an acoustic guitar. There is an affection and playfulness in the way the duo relates to each other that translates beautifully on stage. At one point, they stepped off the stage, away from the mics right onto the centre of the club floor. Mid-song they broke into Johnny and June Carter Cash’s Jackson – perhaps a nod to husband and wife duos of the past. They closed their main set with Diamonds and Home – both upbeat songs that beg for a sing-along. They stepped back on stage for a two song encore – taking suggestions from the crowd. Ending the night with Take the World and fan favourite, Annie. It seems inevitable that Johnnyswim will be back in Toronto and that the venue sizes will increase…they are that good.