I don’t know how to classify this concert, but I feel compelled to write about it. I enjoyed seeing The Swell Season in 2008, when the movie “Once” was just starting to make some waves in a limited set of theaters. I found the stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova to be as likeable on stage as their on screen characters (which isn’t surprising since they aren’t really actors) Hansard was funny in his awkward sort of way and could have carried the show with this stage presence and wonderful musical talent. Irglova was shy, but also amiable and very talented.
When they appeared on the schedule for the Mountain Winery, I knew that I’d find myself there somehow. My parents happened to be in town the same week and given their love of the venue, it was a slam dunk that had to happen. I felt as if this was venue was made for them given the intimate nature of their songs and interaction with the audience.
They came prepared with several tributes, starting with both of them covering a song written by the preceding act, Black Francis (they joked about telling him not to sing this particular song). Hansard led a song he wrote about a woman he had met by chance in a Chicago elevator, who had lost her son in the World Trade Center (He joked that she had never heard of The Swell Season, The Frames or Once when asking him what he did). Marketa led a song thanking the finance’ of their band manager for letting him spend so much time on the road with them and sharing the joy that he brought to their band. Marketa talked about how scared she was to ride up to the Mountain Winery in the bus, given hair pin turns that led to beautiful yet scary views, and was trying to think good thoughts after questioning how they were going to eventually descend in the dark. They had their violinist perform a solo rendition of a 300-year-old Irish song from Mayo county (The violinist himself was from just south in Connemara). Hansard had the crowd join him in performing part of the first song written by his lead guitarist (who had left the stage), which was a comically trite, head-banging type of number (something like, “play, play, play to the maximum!”). They mixed these tributes with familiar favorites and songs from their new album that I gained more appreciation for. The concert had all of the intimacy and fun that I had envisioned.
This all came crashing down, literally, when a man leaped from the top of the Mountain Winery’s main building, which stands behind the stage. My dad and I thought that it was a heavy piece of equipment that had fallen from the set (my mom didn’t see it happen) and I was ready for Glen Hansard to turn everything comical again, but he was as shocked as everyone was, when he saw that it was a person who had then slumped to the hard wood.
They told us to stay in our seats as a crowd surrounded the man and you could see someone vehemently applying CPR. The Mountain Winery crew appeared dumfounded on how to proceed, but they eventually put a curtain around the scene as we saw the flashing lights of emergency vehicles appearing. There was a question to the audience as to whether anyone knew who he was, which gave us the first indication that it was a suicide. Later the police were looking for anyone to step up with answers as to how this tragic event happened.
We noticed some people crying (some sobbing) and hugging in the plaza that they had directed us to. On our way out I noticed someone vomiting in the bushes. But most of the crowd was subdued and avoided panic, which was a pleasant surprise, given what had happened and the fact that we’d be trapped in a remote location for a while. My parents and I were calm though my mom asked several questions, thinking out loud, to try to understand what had happened. I didn’t want to think about it or engage my curiosity; mostly because I didn’t think anything good could come of that. I was disappointed that the concert had ended this way, but somehow I accepted this person’s need to go out in such grandiose fashion. I didn’t need an explanation. I just wanted out.
We sat in the car for an hour as we waited for an opportunity to go back down the hill, which I tried to make better by playing Swell Season and Frames songs, making some guesses as to what songs they would have finished with. There didn’t seem to be much to talk about, though we all felt it had been a bizarre evening that had started wonderfully. I felt bad for the band and the people who were deeply affected. It struck me that this was the first time that I had ever seen a person pass in front of me, though I was a good 100+ feet away. I woke up at 3 AM with the dark image of this person, tumbling down to his death.
The next day we filled in the blanks by Googling the appropriate terms and seeing the story unfold in Mercury News. This man was with a friend and had left his “personal items” on his seat before climbing to the roof of the winery. This friend had no idea that he would be high diving from the roof above and in front of him. Nobody will forget this concert, but I just can’t put myself in this friend’s shoes as this tragedy became clear.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Monday, January 04, 2010
Year in Concerts 2009
2009 turned out to be a slightly down scaled year for concerts, but I still had a chance to see some high quality shows, being fortunate enough to live in an area that is loaded with venues that embrace indie pop. While I had a great time at every show, these were the performances that stood out, in no particular order:
The Mountain Goats – The Filmore - November 14th
The Mountain Goats are on my small list of bands that I’ll pretty much drop everything to see when they come to San Francisco. I’ve never tired of listening to their music, both recorded and in person, and I’ve been to enough shows to feel almost as if John Darnielle is like an old friend coming to town. His concerts are cozy with a cult following and there aren’t many things I’d rather do to curling up to his tunes with a microbrew in hand.
Continuing his prolific song output (He’s said that he’s put out roughly 900 songs!), he delivered Life of the World to Come in 2009, an album marked by its use of biblical verses as titles to its tracks. To me, the album felt like it fit right in with his last two, Get Lonely and Heretic Pride, mixing sadness and fear with hope and faith. I’ll think of Spain when I listen to this album, as it accompanied me on the high speed rail in October, where I was moved by many of the songs, particularly as a lonely traveler.
Darnielle revamped the look and feel of his band for the performance at the Filmore, bringing another guitarist with his usual trio that includes bass guitarist Peter Hughes and drummer Jon Wurster. He also incorporated the violin playing of Owen Pallet, the lone member of the cover band, Final Fantasy. Darnielle remarked how strange it was to peer out into the Filmore crowd and not see all of the faces, which is a similar line that I’ve heard from A.C. Newman and Colin Meloy as their bands graduated to higher capacity venues. To the delight of this expanded crowd, his show adapted wonderfully.
He pulled a nice mix into his set, which included ones from the new album, old favorites and obscure tunes that only parts of the audience could recognize. Regarding the latter, he commented on not wanting people to go home saying, “Yeah, he played some weird stuff tonight”, yet he wanted to throw some goodies to his long time followers. He also alternated the rich sound of five band members with several solo numbers behind the piano and guitar and also paired with Owen Pallet, who added some nice strings that even appeared to move Darnielle at times. It was a nearly perfect balance of songs. My only complaint is that he left out Matthew 25:21, my favorite song from the new album. However, he did play “Song for Dennis Brown”, which is a song I’ve been dying to hear since attending the live shows.
Late in the evening, someone from the front yelled, “What a great show!”, which drew laughter and applause from many, including Darnielle himself. When the band came out for the encore, he apologized that it would be a short one, due to health reasons, but expressed hope that his band had played a full enough set. I was very satisfied as I expect were most, and was delighted to finish the night with Dennis Brown and No Children.
The concert ended up being a great compliment to Darnielle’s interview with Tobias Wolff, which I attended earlier in the year. Darnielle is unashamed to strip away the armor to reveal himself, both in conversation and in music. I think this is what makes him so endearing.
Great Songs played: Genesis 3:23 (also played at Wolff interview), John 4:16, Genesis 30:3, Psalms 40:2 (also played on Colbert Report), Romans 10:9, Old College Try, Dance Music, No Children, Song for Dennis Brown, among others
Great Lyric: I saw his little face contract as his eyes met light/Tried to imagine anything so bright/You only see it once then it steals into the dawn/And then it's gone forever (Genesis 30:3)
Treasure Island Music Festival - Treasure Island - October 18th
I listened to the beginnings of the Hazards of Love at a solo concert in Santa Cruz in 2008, put on by Colin Meloy. He weaved through the first song, asking the audience to periodically imagine him playing an electric guitar with his band mates providing rich complements. This proved easy to do, with his own imagination manifesting itself on the small stage. I felt as entangled in the lyrics as he was that night and felt as if he had mischievously opened one Christmas present to give us a preview of what was to come.
Fast forward to the next year, where he and his band produced a show that was even more ambitious than the album itself, starting with a debut at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin. One live taste of this production proved to be not enough for me, and it turned out that seconds were even better as I watched them during a cold evening on Treasure Island. As they did at the Fox Theater, they feverishly relayed the Hazards of Love story, but I thought that extended band members Becky Stark (from Lavender Diamond) and Shara Worden (from My Brightest Diamond) sounded even better. Stark in particular seemed to bring a stronger voice and Worden appeared to be relishing her role, moving expressively with her full-bodied vocal abilities. The Decemberists have always impressed me with their high level of professional play and I have the impression that this has rubbed off on both of them, perhaps wishing to fit in with their brilliant band mates.
I think my favorite part of the show is when they play The Rake, where everyone inherits bass-sounding drums except for Meloy and guitarist Chris Funk. It seems like a song that brings out some indigenous roots of the music and could be accompanied by a tribal dance of some sort. The band is more unified here than any other song and even Meloy takes a stick to bang a drum with eventually. This seems to be a great example of the Decemberist’s ability to reinvent itself and continue to reel in its audience.
But this concert didn’t only belong to the Decemberists. Before they took the stage, I really enjoyed the show put on by Beirut. One thing I’ve found with indie bands is that even if they add some nice horn play within their tracks, it’s hard to find more than one band member, if any, that actually plays brass live. Beirut is the opposite of this as it’s hard to find someone in the band that does not play an instrument with a mouth piece. Lead member Zach Condon traded vocals with his trumpet in most songs and harmonized really well with an unknown band member (I can’t figure out who this is) with talents in both instruments. They also had an accordion, trombone and tuba and Condon played ukulele for some of the tunes. It was a wonderful treat to see them live and hope to find them in California again.
The headlining Flaming Lips lived up to their reputation for over-the-top showmanship. The show started with a video of a naked woman dancing on the large screen on stage to some psychedelic beat. Eventually she sat down, spread her legs, and out sprang most of the Flaming Lips (I’m just now seeing a connection as I write this), one by one, from a pulsing bright light as if she was giving birth to them. For Wayne Coyne’s entrance, the video repositioned and focused on the woman’s right eye, which also became brilliant with light. He emerged inside of a plastic bubble, and rolled himself out into the crowd, who eventually rolled him back on stage. I only stayed for the first few songs, which were unfamiliar to me, but each song came with explosions of white streamers out into the crowd and a dazzling light show. They were an amazing sight to behold.
Great Songs Played: Hazards of Love (full album), Postcards from Italy, Guyamas Sonora, Flying Club Cup, many others I didn't know the title of
Great Lyric: So let's be married here today, these rushing waves to be our witness/And we lie like river stones, rolling only where it takes us (Hazards of Love Album)
Weakerthans – Great American Music Hall - July 17th
The Weakerthans were the only band that I saw in 2009 that didn’t have a new album to promote, but this wasn’t such a bad thing as they could draw from a large anthology of music. The set list turned out to include most if not all of my “best of” compilation when it comes to their music, which made for a fun evening at beautiful venue with Lost Coast brews on tap. I was a happy camper.
I had attended another fun concert from them in 2007 at Slim’s, but I think this one was better. John Samson greeted the audience with an enthusiastic “Hello friends!” and seemed to have more fun this time. A couple of fun moments: 1. Mid-song he handed his guitar to a friend in the audience, who delivered a really nice solo (afterwards Samson said, “We should really have him teach us to play”) 2. He seemed to lose it a little when most of the audience sang, “I hate Winnipeg”, seeming to be embarrassed that most knew and liked this lyric. He ended up replaying the ending after composing himself.
I think what really added to the fun of this concert was the audience itself. I heard a lot more people singing along than at Slim’s. It reminded me of the Mountain Goats concert, with another great John leading his band. It was nothing fancy, all he really needed to do was bring his great lyrics and band and all was good.
Great Songs Played: Left and Leaving, Everything Must Go, Big Foot, Reconstruction Site, Psalm for the Elks Lodge Last Call, A New Name for Everything, One Great City, Benediction, Sun in Empty Room, Night Windows
Great Lyric: I change the oils and oil the squeaks/patch the holes and fluid leaks/at dusk, beneath a diabetic moon/and wait to take the tv crews/across the creaking ice, the news/is howling to the timber wolves, and soon... (Bigfoot)
Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band – The Mezzanine - August 29th
A few years ago, I went to see Bright Eyes at the Great American Music Hall, which ended up being a slight disappointment. There were a couple song restarts, surprising from a band that had produced so much music and had gotten a fair amount of notoriety. I also remember Conor Oberst expressing some slight content with the “San Francisco” audience, which he said he had written off in favor of Oakland in recent past (I remember thinking that most audiences might have some issues with him) Regardless, the man can write lyrics like few others, which allowed me to look past some of the quirks and still find some fun in the show.
This year, he redeemed himself by bringing a much better performance to the Mezzanine, which I think was fueled at least partly by a slight change in band mates who collaborated with memorable tunes of their own coupled with great musicianship. He seemed to have a lot more energy and fun with this time and even spoke to the appreciation he had for the project in terms of rejuvenating him.
Taylor Hollingsworth in particular was great on lead guitar, seeming to go into a weird trance with eyes rolling to the back of his head when Oberst would come over to him almost looking like he was playfully trying to throw him off. Hollingsworth and Nik Freitas, another formidable guitarist, each provided a song of their own, which brought welcome variety to the show.
Despite the improvement in the performance, it’s still Oberst’s lyrics that do it for me. I had only given the album a one listen, which was just starting to draw me in. Hearing the live renditions of Get-Well-Cards, I Don’t Want To Die, Moab and Milk Thistle caused me to repeated play the album for several weeks afterward. The album alternates nicely from toe-tapping, bluesy numbers to soulful ballads, which carried over well in the concert. My only disappointment was that he didn’t play Lenders in the Temple (unless I spaced out and have forgotten it), which is one of my favorites.
There’s still something irritating about Oberst’s attitude though. Towards the end of the concert he said, “Don’t worry, we’re going to play a couple more songs, then you can go home”. We all paid 25 bucks and as far as I could tell, people were dancing and applauding pretty enthusiastically. Why did he feel the need to act as though he was leading an annoying cover band? I think I’ve been spoiled by the likes of Craig Finn and John Darnielle though. Not every performer is going to be as likeable between songs and I can put up with a brat if he performs as beautifully as that night.
Great Songs Played: Get-Well-Cards, I Don’t Want To Die, Moab, Milk Thistle, Danny Callahan, NYC Gone Gone
Great Lyric: I want to be your happiness/I want to be your common sense pain/Wrap your head in a picket fence/Rebuild after the hurricane (Get-Well-Cards)
Rural Alberta Advantage – Bottom of the Hill - December 16th
As I listened to the cover bands at the Bottom of the Hill, I noticed RAA front man Paul Banwatt carrying a beer to the t-shirt/cd table with change in the other hand. He proceeded to shake hands and sell items from behind this table. When the cover bands had finished, he carried drums, keyboard and guitar onto the stage to set them up and placed paper copies of the set list and as his band took the stage, I realized he would be in charge of guitar, keyboard and vocals. I wondered if he would also be asked to take out the garbage and lock up afterward. This guy was doing everything.
That’s part of the fun of watching an up and coming indie band. Despite their successful album Hometowns, which I had been really enjoying recently, they were still paying for their beer, personally selling RAA stuff and being their own roadies. Amy Cole snapped pictures during the show and at one point Banwatt said something like, “A year ago, we never though we’d be hearing 300 people sing one of our songs at Bottom of the Hill. We’re so happy to be here” It can’t get much more refreshing than that.
As for the music itself, Banwatt played and sounded great as his band mates provided percussion and a little bit of keyboard. He paired really well vocally with Amy Cole, which I’m hoping becomes more of a trend as they produce more music. It was great to be less than 10 feet away from the stage and fun to see The Bottom of the Hill packed with an energetic group. They played every Hometowns song to a delighted crowd and I’ll be keeping my eye on them and the itunes calendar with hopes of more to come.
Great Songs Played: The Ballad of RAA, Don't Haunt This Place, In the Summertime, Frank AB, Four Night Rider
Great Lyric: And when we're middle aged/Tell me I loved you like a renegade/And how I say things that make you sway/And mostly I tell you you did the same
Honorable Mentions
Flamenco – Castranova, Sevilla, Spain.
A three-piece band was very entertaining during a night abroad in Spain. I enjoyed hearing the Emo-styled singing, guitar and percussion provided by dancing shoes and clapping hands in a cave-like bar in Sevilla.
Love Like Fire, Maps and Atlases – Bottom of the Hill
I continued being a Love Like Fire groupie, since my first listening of them in Madison. Maps and Atlases were their cover band, which gave me a good first taste of “math rock”. It was another fun show.
The Mountain Goats – The Filmore - November 14th
The Mountain Goats are on my small list of bands that I’ll pretty much drop everything to see when they come to San Francisco. I’ve never tired of listening to their music, both recorded and in person, and I’ve been to enough shows to feel almost as if John Darnielle is like an old friend coming to town. His concerts are cozy with a cult following and there aren’t many things I’d rather do to curling up to his tunes with a microbrew in hand.
Continuing his prolific song output (He’s said that he’s put out roughly 900 songs!), he delivered Life of the World to Come in 2009, an album marked by its use of biblical verses as titles to its tracks. To me, the album felt like it fit right in with his last two, Get Lonely and Heretic Pride, mixing sadness and fear with hope and faith. I’ll think of Spain when I listen to this album, as it accompanied me on the high speed rail in October, where I was moved by many of the songs, particularly as a lonely traveler.
Darnielle revamped the look and feel of his band for the performance at the Filmore, bringing another guitarist with his usual trio that includes bass guitarist Peter Hughes and drummer Jon Wurster. He also incorporated the violin playing of Owen Pallet, the lone member of the cover band, Final Fantasy. Darnielle remarked how strange it was to peer out into the Filmore crowd and not see all of the faces, which is a similar line that I’ve heard from A.C. Newman and Colin Meloy as their bands graduated to higher capacity venues. To the delight of this expanded crowd, his show adapted wonderfully.
He pulled a nice mix into his set, which included ones from the new album, old favorites and obscure tunes that only parts of the audience could recognize. Regarding the latter, he commented on not wanting people to go home saying, “Yeah, he played some weird stuff tonight”, yet he wanted to throw some goodies to his long time followers. He also alternated the rich sound of five band members with several solo numbers behind the piano and guitar and also paired with Owen Pallet, who added some nice strings that even appeared to move Darnielle at times. It was a nearly perfect balance of songs. My only complaint is that he left out Matthew 25:21, my favorite song from the new album. However, he did play “Song for Dennis Brown”, which is a song I’ve been dying to hear since attending the live shows.
Late in the evening, someone from the front yelled, “What a great show!”, which drew laughter and applause from many, including Darnielle himself. When the band came out for the encore, he apologized that it would be a short one, due to health reasons, but expressed hope that his band had played a full enough set. I was very satisfied as I expect were most, and was delighted to finish the night with Dennis Brown and No Children.
The concert ended up being a great compliment to Darnielle’s interview with Tobias Wolff, which I attended earlier in the year. Darnielle is unashamed to strip away the armor to reveal himself, both in conversation and in music. I think this is what makes him so endearing.
Great Songs played: Genesis 3:23 (also played at Wolff interview), John 4:16, Genesis 30:3, Psalms 40:2 (also played on Colbert Report), Romans 10:9, Old College Try, Dance Music, No Children, Song for Dennis Brown, among others
Great Lyric: I saw his little face contract as his eyes met light/Tried to imagine anything so bright/You only see it once then it steals into the dawn/And then it's gone forever (Genesis 30:3)
Treasure Island Music Festival - Treasure Island - October 18th
I listened to the beginnings of the Hazards of Love at a solo concert in Santa Cruz in 2008, put on by Colin Meloy. He weaved through the first song, asking the audience to periodically imagine him playing an electric guitar with his band mates providing rich complements. This proved easy to do, with his own imagination manifesting itself on the small stage. I felt as entangled in the lyrics as he was that night and felt as if he had mischievously opened one Christmas present to give us a preview of what was to come.
Fast forward to the next year, where he and his band produced a show that was even more ambitious than the album itself, starting with a debut at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin. One live taste of this production proved to be not enough for me, and it turned out that seconds were even better as I watched them during a cold evening on Treasure Island. As they did at the Fox Theater, they feverishly relayed the Hazards of Love story, but I thought that extended band members Becky Stark (from Lavender Diamond) and Shara Worden (from My Brightest Diamond) sounded even better. Stark in particular seemed to bring a stronger voice and Worden appeared to be relishing her role, moving expressively with her full-bodied vocal abilities. The Decemberists have always impressed me with their high level of professional play and I have the impression that this has rubbed off on both of them, perhaps wishing to fit in with their brilliant band mates.
I think my favorite part of the show is when they play The Rake, where everyone inherits bass-sounding drums except for Meloy and guitarist Chris Funk. It seems like a song that brings out some indigenous roots of the music and could be accompanied by a tribal dance of some sort. The band is more unified here than any other song and even Meloy takes a stick to bang a drum with eventually. This seems to be a great example of the Decemberist’s ability to reinvent itself and continue to reel in its audience.
But this concert didn’t only belong to the Decemberists. Before they took the stage, I really enjoyed the show put on by Beirut. One thing I’ve found with indie bands is that even if they add some nice horn play within their tracks, it’s hard to find more than one band member, if any, that actually plays brass live. Beirut is the opposite of this as it’s hard to find someone in the band that does not play an instrument with a mouth piece. Lead member Zach Condon traded vocals with his trumpet in most songs and harmonized really well with an unknown band member (I can’t figure out who this is) with talents in both instruments. They also had an accordion, trombone and tuba and Condon played ukulele for some of the tunes. It was a wonderful treat to see them live and hope to find them in California again.
The headlining Flaming Lips lived up to their reputation for over-the-top showmanship. The show started with a video of a naked woman dancing on the large screen on stage to some psychedelic beat. Eventually she sat down, spread her legs, and out sprang most of the Flaming Lips (I’m just now seeing a connection as I write this), one by one, from a pulsing bright light as if she was giving birth to them. For Wayne Coyne’s entrance, the video repositioned and focused on the woman’s right eye, which also became brilliant with light. He emerged inside of a plastic bubble, and rolled himself out into the crowd, who eventually rolled him back on stage. I only stayed for the first few songs, which were unfamiliar to me, but each song came with explosions of white streamers out into the crowd and a dazzling light show. They were an amazing sight to behold.
Great Songs Played: Hazards of Love (full album), Postcards from Italy, Guyamas Sonora, Flying Club Cup, many others I didn't know the title of
Great Lyric: So let's be married here today, these rushing waves to be our witness/And we lie like river stones, rolling only where it takes us (Hazards of Love Album)
Weakerthans – Great American Music Hall - July 17th
The Weakerthans were the only band that I saw in 2009 that didn’t have a new album to promote, but this wasn’t such a bad thing as they could draw from a large anthology of music. The set list turned out to include most if not all of my “best of” compilation when it comes to their music, which made for a fun evening at beautiful venue with Lost Coast brews on tap. I was a happy camper.
I had attended another fun concert from them in 2007 at Slim’s, but I think this one was better. John Samson greeted the audience with an enthusiastic “Hello friends!” and seemed to have more fun this time. A couple of fun moments: 1. Mid-song he handed his guitar to a friend in the audience, who delivered a really nice solo (afterwards Samson said, “We should really have him teach us to play”) 2. He seemed to lose it a little when most of the audience sang, “I hate Winnipeg”, seeming to be embarrassed that most knew and liked this lyric. He ended up replaying the ending after composing himself.
I think what really added to the fun of this concert was the audience itself. I heard a lot more people singing along than at Slim’s. It reminded me of the Mountain Goats concert, with another great John leading his band. It was nothing fancy, all he really needed to do was bring his great lyrics and band and all was good.
Great Songs Played: Left and Leaving, Everything Must Go, Big Foot, Reconstruction Site, Psalm for the Elks Lodge Last Call, A New Name for Everything, One Great City, Benediction, Sun in Empty Room, Night Windows
Great Lyric: I change the oils and oil the squeaks/patch the holes and fluid leaks/at dusk, beneath a diabetic moon/and wait to take the tv crews/across the creaking ice, the news/is howling to the timber wolves, and soon... (Bigfoot)
Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band – The Mezzanine - August 29th
A few years ago, I went to see Bright Eyes at the Great American Music Hall, which ended up being a slight disappointment. There were a couple song restarts, surprising from a band that had produced so much music and had gotten a fair amount of notoriety. I also remember Conor Oberst expressing some slight content with the “San Francisco” audience, which he said he had written off in favor of Oakland in recent past (I remember thinking that most audiences might have some issues with him) Regardless, the man can write lyrics like few others, which allowed me to look past some of the quirks and still find some fun in the show.
This year, he redeemed himself by bringing a much better performance to the Mezzanine, which I think was fueled at least partly by a slight change in band mates who collaborated with memorable tunes of their own coupled with great musicianship. He seemed to have a lot more energy and fun with this time and even spoke to the appreciation he had for the project in terms of rejuvenating him.
Taylor Hollingsworth in particular was great on lead guitar, seeming to go into a weird trance with eyes rolling to the back of his head when Oberst would come over to him almost looking like he was playfully trying to throw him off. Hollingsworth and Nik Freitas, another formidable guitarist, each provided a song of their own, which brought welcome variety to the show.
Despite the improvement in the performance, it’s still Oberst’s lyrics that do it for me. I had only given the album a one listen, which was just starting to draw me in. Hearing the live renditions of Get-Well-Cards, I Don’t Want To Die, Moab and Milk Thistle caused me to repeated play the album for several weeks afterward. The album alternates nicely from toe-tapping, bluesy numbers to soulful ballads, which carried over well in the concert. My only disappointment was that he didn’t play Lenders in the Temple (unless I spaced out and have forgotten it), which is one of my favorites.
There’s still something irritating about Oberst’s attitude though. Towards the end of the concert he said, “Don’t worry, we’re going to play a couple more songs, then you can go home”. We all paid 25 bucks and as far as I could tell, people were dancing and applauding pretty enthusiastically. Why did he feel the need to act as though he was leading an annoying cover band? I think I’ve been spoiled by the likes of Craig Finn and John Darnielle though. Not every performer is going to be as likeable between songs and I can put up with a brat if he performs as beautifully as that night.
Great Songs Played: Get-Well-Cards, I Don’t Want To Die, Moab, Milk Thistle, Danny Callahan, NYC Gone Gone
Great Lyric: I want to be your happiness/I want to be your common sense pain/Wrap your head in a picket fence/Rebuild after the hurricane (Get-Well-Cards)
Rural Alberta Advantage – Bottom of the Hill - December 16th
As I listened to the cover bands at the Bottom of the Hill, I noticed RAA front man Paul Banwatt carrying a beer to the t-shirt/cd table with change in the other hand. He proceeded to shake hands and sell items from behind this table. When the cover bands had finished, he carried drums, keyboard and guitar onto the stage to set them up and placed paper copies of the set list and as his band took the stage, I realized he would be in charge of guitar, keyboard and vocals. I wondered if he would also be asked to take out the garbage and lock up afterward. This guy was doing everything.
That’s part of the fun of watching an up and coming indie band. Despite their successful album Hometowns, which I had been really enjoying recently, they were still paying for their beer, personally selling RAA stuff and being their own roadies. Amy Cole snapped pictures during the show and at one point Banwatt said something like, “A year ago, we never though we’d be hearing 300 people sing one of our songs at Bottom of the Hill. We’re so happy to be here” It can’t get much more refreshing than that.
As for the music itself, Banwatt played and sounded great as his band mates provided percussion and a little bit of keyboard. He paired really well vocally with Amy Cole, which I’m hoping becomes more of a trend as they produce more music. It was great to be less than 10 feet away from the stage and fun to see The Bottom of the Hill packed with an energetic group. They played every Hometowns song to a delighted crowd and I’ll be keeping my eye on them and the itunes calendar with hopes of more to come.
Great Songs Played: The Ballad of RAA, Don't Haunt This Place, In the Summertime, Frank AB, Four Night Rider
Great Lyric: And when we're middle aged/Tell me I loved you like a renegade/And how I say things that make you sway/And mostly I tell you you did the same
Honorable Mentions
Flamenco – Castranova, Sevilla, Spain.
A three-piece band was very entertaining during a night abroad in Spain. I enjoyed hearing the Emo-styled singing, guitar and percussion provided by dancing shoes and clapping hands in a cave-like bar in Sevilla.
Love Like Fire, Maps and Atlases – Bottom of the Hill
I continued being a Love Like Fire groupie, since my first listening of them in Madison. Maps and Atlases were their cover band, which gave me a good first taste of “math rock”. It was another fun show.
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