Gracing us with a stellar Summerfest set

Wauwatosa native Grace Weber and Julian Pollack made the trip from New York to Milwaukee for a Summerfest show. But for Weber, it was simply a trip home. They played on the Miller Lite stage at 2 p.m. despite looming dark clouds and a threat of heavy rain.

Weber, the vocalist, and Pollack, on the piano, were joined on stage by a drummer, guitarist and saxophone player. The duo, which recently became a five-piece band, comes from New York where its members met as students two years ago at New York University's School of Music.

Weber's voice is both smokey and strong, sultry and light and Grace and Julian occupy the stage with comfort and class.

With two recorded albums under their belt and a third to be released within the coming months, Grace and Julian revealed a sliver of their musical talent with renditions of original songs and classic favorites.

Both Weber and Pollack interacted with the crowd as natural entertainers, turning the expansive Miller Lite Oasis into a family style small show.

Able to transition between genres as only truly skilled musicians can, their hour-long set included a mixture of jazz, funk, rock and singer/songwriter staples. Self-penned songs like "Hi Mom," "Leave the Light On," were interspersed among sing-along favorites like "Let it Be" and "Tell Me Something Good."

Grace and Julian perform tonight at Jazz in the Park and again on July 9 at the Milwaukee Ale House.