Chicago’s own Dolly Varden’s “For a While”

Upon leaving the venue, there’d be no surprise if crowd consensus deduced that Dolly Varden deserves to be more famous than they are.

There’s no reason anyone in this band should still hold a day job. They’re just that good.

The local-area quintet, built around the singing and songwriting team of Dawson and his wife, Diane Christiansen, has maintained the same lineup for the past 17 years and now-six albums together. So they’ve already won half the battle many other bands lose.

The disappointment, although only slight, is they do themselves a disservice by not channeling the same unbridled energy in their albums. In short, Dolly Varden, excels when they don’t bother to spit-shine live what’s carefully crafted on record.

The couple’s onstage banter—nostalgic lovebirds one minute, we-should-get-marriage-counseling the next—worked well in the intimate Winery space, especially with family and friends seated nearby to stoke the rhetorical fires.

Make no mistake, though. The band’s music overall packs stadium-size punch. Indeed, they are ready for primetime. Especially, if they keep churning out raw gems like “Your Last Mistake” and from For A While, “Done (Done)” and “Girl in a Well.”

Theme wise, Suzanne Vega’s breakthrough song “Luka” comes to mind.

One of reasons it was not only a good song but a huge hit is that it defied the inanity and whimsy that sometimes categorizes the acoustic genre. “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” this ain’t. Vega tore right through the fluff to explore a mature subject matter that is rarely shown on TV, let alone expressed in song. Here’s hoping Varden keeps peeling away the onion to reveal similar blades of truth.

In a perfect world, Dawson and Christensen easily summon the rich harmonies they’re known for, one suspects, even on a bad day. The Holy Grail to their blend of folk/pop/rock/alt-country (I think) lies in Dawson infusing a welcomed shot of honky tonk that is matched, if not exceeded, by steel lap-guitarist Mark Balletto, undoubtedly the night’s MVP.

Ha! Perhaps gaining access to the winery’s stock of more “creative” juice than the store-bought variety helped the band tousle and let down their collective manes. It’s a look that suits them well.

Christiansen seemed to marvel at her husband, who she noted is usually more introverted. “What are you drinking?” she quipped. “I don’t know,” he surmised, looking down at the empty bottle. “But whatever it is, it’s gone.”

Gone, but certainly not forgotten.