I've been to a smattering number of shows of late. Many of these I had made plans for a while back, while some were more spur of the moment type things. This is a collection of mini-thoughts, videos, and photos on what I've seen and heard so far this year, starting with the most recent...
Midlake @ The Wonder Ballroom - 3/6/10 - This was my first show @ The Wonder Ballroom. There have certainly been opportunities to catch some things there, but in those cases (ie Built to Spill), I waited too long and they sold out. Midlake is an interesting bunch. They're not a jam band, but they tend to toe the line sometimes... I mean, a jam band with flutes teetering on the edge of 70's soft rock is just a really bad idea. Anyway, it was a really good show. The Wonder Ballroom is fairly big place, reminiscent of St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit, or even WOW Hall in Eugend. Nice hardwood floors and decor. I started out the night in way in the back, up in the balcony, and the first band, well, it's very possible that I was snoring through them. I didn't think I was going to make it. Midlake came on, and while they were good, they vocal mix from the back room just didn't work. I mean, I'm sure really hard to mix a guy who sings with his mouth practically closed most of the time, but it just didn't work for me. After they played "Roscoe," I went up to the front for the remainder of the show. The sound was just so much better right in the front of the stage. I've noted this for my next visit there (possibly Rogue Wave, Nada Surf, or KILLING JOKE). All in all, a successful night. Here they are, doing "Van Occupanther."
El Perro Del Mar w/ Taken By Trees @ Doug Fir Lounge - 2/28/10 - I won tickets to this show, just mostly because I wanted to try out the whole log love email thing where you can win tickets. I could have maybe gone for Evan Dando instead, but why not something completely different, like El Perro Del Mar, which I was not even that familiar with? Taken By Trees were OK. Maybe a little too much slick international/world beat flavor for my taste. Then El Perro Del Mar - I just didn't see it coming. She was great, great, great. Even beneath all of the layers of reverb, you could just tell how much she cared about songsmanship. And then she closed with a cover of "Blue Moon" by Big Star. I'm sold.
Damien Jurado, The Robinsons @ Mississippi Studios - 2/27/10 - It was great to get out and see Damien Jurado. He was solo, and he did the job. While it was a fun night all in all, I have to say that I'm becoming somewhat disenchanted with Mississippi Studios. Almost every show I've seen there (and there have been many now), save Chuck Prophet and Robbie Fulks, has just been too loud. What's worse is that the sound guy goes overkill with the REVERB. This was well exemplified during The Robinson's set. There was so much reverb that you could barely distinguish between the voices of this married duo. I can't put that entirely on the sound man... it seemed to be what they were going for, and well, I'm just going to stick to their records from now on (Viva Voce, Blue Giant). I took this video at the show of Damien performing a new tune from his upcoming release, Saint Bartlett, due out May 25.
Michael Dean Damron, The Hounds Below, Matthew Ryan, Kasey Anderson @ Berbatti's Pan, 2/25/10 - This was more like 2 separate shows in one night. Matthew Ryan is a longtime favorite of mine, but... it would have been better to hear him in a more sympathetic venue. You had people there to see him, and people there for "I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In the House" surprise reunion show. Anyway, I enjoyed the solo sets well enough I guess, but it would be nice one day to hear something that more closely resembles the record some day. I mean, the record is largely tranced out loops, beats, strings, harmonicas... and this was just him solo. Kasey Anderson... he's slowly growing on me, or at least his ballads are. His more upbeat style just isn't what I usually go for. ICLASINH... well, they're loud, and really good. I'm not sure anyone in the area is more a more "authentic" performer that Michael Dean Damron. His brand of rock... it's my usual fare... and it's very heavily Dylan influenced... but I've been entertained by what I've seen so far. The Hounds Below, are from Detroit. I guess they're alright, but they were the odd band out that night, and no one cared. At any rate, I really really like this song by Kasey Anderson. I had to request it to him to play it so I could take this video...
The Magnetic Fields w/ Mark Eitzel @ The Aladdin - 2/22/10 - It was perfectly pleasant evening at The Aladdin. I had been there once, but that doesn't really seem to count. I only wish the MF's would have kept to one set instead of 2. It ran late for a Monday. Mark sounded great, just accompanied by a synthesized keyboard version of electric piano. The sound there was perfect, not too loud. This is how every show should sound, IMO. I'm getting old. Here's a clip of Mark Eitzel that night, doing his thing...
The Dharma Bums w/ The Young Fresh Fellows @ Crystal Ballroom - 2/20/10 - Some other band opened, but they were... forgettable. Pay no mind. The Dharma Bums - that was just one of the best performances I've seen in many years. I honestly knew nada about these guys 2 weeks before the show, but I started studying up and like what I heard. They were performing for the first time in almost 20 years (I think). They brought a lot of energy for a band that's been out that long. The Young Fresh Fellows are another 80's band, led by Scott McCaughey (who you may know more recently for his work with The Minus Five or his connections to REM). They were fab as well, closing with "Strychnine" - an obvious Seattle move that I always welcome.
Sloan w/ The Tripwires @ Doug Fir Lounge - 2/17/10 - Sloan was alright. They came out, seemingly larger-than-life and in your face with the most powerful of their pop hooks. Then the drummer got up and did his stuff, and they kind of lost steam after that. The Tripwires were the perfect opener, and quite enjoyable. That encouraged me to check out their most recent release ("House to House"), and it's pretty fabulous. They obviously do their worship in the church of LOWE... most of the time anyway.
The Maldives @ The Crystal Ballroom - 1/31/10 - The Maldives, much like the Moondoggies, write rather insipid lyrics, but play their songs VERY WELL. I had a hard time getting over the lyric thing at first, but they broke the barrier this night with an incredible performance.
I don't remember the dates of the rest of these...
Frank Fairfield, Rollie Tussing & The Diminished 7, McDougal @ White Eagle Saloon - Frank is an old-time guy, who lives in California. He may be dressed like someone out of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" (no, not in pin stripes, just that era), with his slicked, pomade hair, suspenders, and pants pulled halfway up his stomach. He plays either banjo, guitar, or fiddle, depending on the tune and chirps along when there are words to sing. Rollie is Rollie - one my best friends and I think his talent is just hard to come by. McDougal was a big surprise. As Rollie said, how does anyone follow that guy. He's got the one-man-band thing down.
The Butchers and The Builders, Tu Fawning, Nick Jaina @ The Woods - This was benefit for Haiti. The B&B's are worth checking out, I think, if shrill, scary & overly-affected vocals are your thing... but they're not mine. Still, I loved the use of the mandolin in their songs. They definitely give a nod to bands like the Pogues, though I think they owe most of their sound to Sixteen Horsepower. I got to check out a few songs by Nick Jaina, but probably not enough to have much of an opinion. Tu Fawning is another local band which I just don't get, and that's all I'll ever have to say about them. But the point was to support Haiti, and I was happy to be there.
Dengue Fever with Tu Fawning @ Berbatti's Pan - I was sick and falling asleep. Dengue Fever was certainly good, but they didn't really bring that much energy. It wasn't a waste, but I don't need to see them again either.
The Moondoggies with Sera Cahoone & Celilo @ The Doug Fir - This particular show I've already talked about. Good stuff all around.
Here are some photos of the shows I've been to:
Coming up on Tuesday... Weinland, The Maldives, and OR, The Whale... Friday, The Old Believers, Laura Veirs, Cataldo... then I slow down... Ted Leo maybe... and Zoe Muth.
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