Phosphorescent, the headliner of the night’s show, couldn’t make it. Their van broke down in Louisville, stranding them an hour away from their Lexington show. But when I broke the news to Cody Swanson of Noisy Crane, the intensity of his puppy dog saddness was matched only by the length of his smile when I asked if he still wanted to play: now there’s someone who loves to perform.

Noisy Crane is a local act, but one that’s still getting rolling. Cody has been performing around Kentucky for years, but is just getting started in this outfit. In fact, the show at Mecca was his first with a drummer. Together they broke new ground on Cody’s songs, new and old, and covered Neutral Milk Hotel and Will Oldham (two groups Cody is quite to cite as influences).

But if the night’s The Microphones-meets-Jeff Mangum vibe wasn’t already apparent, the band went one step further to ensure that the two-man setup didn’t detract from their performance. For a few songs, Cody looped his guitar in order to allow him to pour his soul out through a trumpet. He’s no master at it, but much like Scott Spillane of NMH learned how to play out of necessity, Cody’s passion more than made up for any technical shortcomings. He was spot on.