Menomena @ Exit/In : Nashville, TN October 31, 2007

Last night I headed over to Elliston to see Menomena play a late weeknight Halloween show at the Exit/In. I had a feeling that the Barsuk boys would be the kind of band that would be fun to see on Halloween and that turned out to be both the truest and most understated feeling I have ever had.

The band set up, line checked, sound checked, and left stage….for 20 minutes. What could be taking this much time, you ask? Costumes of course! Guitar/keyboard/glockenspiel/sampler player and vocalist Brent Knopf emerged first dressed as a very convincing Jim Halpert. This was followed by drummer and vocalist Danny Seim in an old woman’s dress, carrying bass/guitar/foot-synth/sax player & vocalist Justin Harris…..who was dressed as a giant baby, That is: he was wearing a bonnet, a diaper, and some high tops. Danny would later attempt to breast feed his baby….I would have taken pictures of that except I think you have to pay for that sort of thing.

This was without a doubt the best way I could have spent my Halloween, I haven’t seen a band perform so energetically and completely committed in quite some time. If you’re not familiar with their live show every member plays lead singer, not to mention switches instruments gratuitously. Saxophpones, foot-synth organ bass pedals, glockenspiels, laptops, guitars, bass, shakers, drums, and generally anything else that makes noise.

There was a costume party: A girl dressed as a booty call with a phone attached to her butt won, two robots took a close second, and I personally appreciated Santa Claus and a guy dressed as the early nineties sporting a Dinosaur JR shirt under his flannel.

Songs like The Pelican and Muscle n’ Flo were a concern. I wasn’t sure how well the band would re-produce the more fast, dynamic, and instrumentally diverse songs in their catalog, but they did and they did it extremely well. I don’t think there was a missed note the entire night, pretty impressive for a baby with a cut thumb, an old woman, and….John Krasinski.

The band has about 15 dates left all over North America and I cannot recommend their show enough. Stop by and pick up a fun blame monster ornament, enjoy amazing songs, and hope for a costume change.

[mp3] Menomena – Air Aid
[mp3] Menomena – Wet & Rusting

Buy Menomena records
See the rest of my photos from the night

Rufus Wainwright – Ryman Auditorium 8.14.07

“The Outlook was decidedly blue,” Rufus crooned during one of two Judy Garland cover’s, and what a fitting sentiment it was.

The evening started off with a band, literally and figuratively, with my being involved in a minor traffic accident thanks to someone on second avenue who decided driving the wrong way on a one way was something he could pull off, and by the time I got to the Ryman I felt like turning around and going home.

Thankfully, I decided to stay, and regretted even entertaining the thought. The show will probably be ranked in the top five events I have ever witnessed. Rufus’s theatrical pop music was made for the Ryman: his voice filling the old sanctuary and wrapping around the four thousand ears in the room, as he tore through a lengthy set which (much to my excitement) contained 6 songs from my favorite Rufus record, Want One.

Rufus emerged in a sparkly american flag suit with a gigantic black and white flag behind him (the stars replaced with broaches, naturally) which he later explained to be “The Rufus flag” representing the beauty in the midst of the political darkness in America. He would later dawn a dutch school boy outfit, a bath robe, and finally a mini-skirt, heels, and make-up in what will undoubtedly be the most theatrical thing I will ever experience outside of a musical. I’m not sure what was the highlight: his no-mics performance of an irish folk song, Hallelujah being on the setlist, the Garland covers, or Rufus singing Pretty Things solo with not one of the two thousand people in attendance making as much as a whisper.

There are ten dates left on the North American leg of Rufus (And Neko’s) tour, which can be seen here, the dates will be followed by a European tour.

[mp3] Rufus Wainwright – 14th Street
[mp3] Rufus Wainwright – Pretty Things
[mp3] Rufus Wainwright – Do I Dissapoint You?

Buy Rufus’ records at insound.

The Decemberists @ City Hall 4-05-07

“Wow,” I thought to myself as I was leaving what was undoubtedly the best show I have EVER attended. This was my first time seeing the Decemberists ya see. Unless you have seen them yourself there really isn’t anyway to for you to understand what it’s like. Rather than try to explain (it would take me hours to articulate everything that went down) I will just leave you a fragmented and scattered list of some of the more exciting moments of the show, some mp3’s and grainy cell phone pics and urge, no, beg you to attend a Decemberists show if ever you have the chance.

+ The setlist was amazing and spanned the bands entire discography
+ The entire band was genuinely having fun
+ There were dance contests. Three of them actually. Meloy instructed us all to make big circles in each of the three sides of the audience and appoint judges during a 12 minute version of The Perfect Crime.
+ Back to back guitar solos, guitar duels, and other fake but epic battles between Meloy and multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk.

+ David Rawlings and Gillian Welch came out to do a rendition of Look at Miss Ohio with the Decemberists as their backing band including Funk on Slide Guitar, then backed the band up on a few songs
+Meloy made us all sit down after he “put the band to sleep” and then woke them up for the encore
+Rawlings and Welch reappeared this time dressed as a giant whale that ate Chris, Colin, and Chris’ Banjo and then proceeded to eat us
+They played The Mariner’s Revenge much to the elation of the crowd. This included floor tom/sleigh bell banging, some nice mandolin work from Funk, lots of crowd participation (see: giant crowd eating whale) and the realization that Meloy should probable look into being a Broadway actor after The Decemberists are done (may that day never come)

[mp3] The Decemberists – O Valencia
[mp3] The Decemberists – California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade
[mp3] The Decemberists – Los Angeles, I’m Yours
[mp3] The Decemberists – After the Bombs

In conclusion, I beg of you, PLEASE go see the band if it is at all financially and logistically possible. They’re on the road until July, dates for the remainder of the tour are HERE.

There is some youtube video shot a little bit behind me (I was one person back dead center) here. If any of the various authors should be reading, thank you.

Delta Spirit / Tokyo Police Club / Cold War Kids @ Mercy lounge 3-24-2007

I was expecting a good show last night. I had been waiting to see Cold War Kids for awhile and had always had conflicts when they were in town (a total of four times I believe, which is ridiculous). It seemed like there was some mystical force out to keep me from enjoying myself though. After trouble at the door involving re-entry and Id’s and the like with a friend who is underage, having to drive 20 minutes back to my friends car and then return, the show starting 40 minutes late, having a tall guy in front of me blocking my line of sight (and I’m 6′4”!) and having beer spilt on my flip flopped feet, the odds weren’t looking so good.

Then Delta Spirit came on and started the show…wow, that is all I can say friends, these guys are really really good. They outperformed everyone else who would grace the stage. Wonderful aged pop songs with fierce intensity, co-op percussion, and a whole lot of confidence made for one of my favorite sets in a long time. The songs shifted from really catchy rock songs to dylanesque folk sing alongs, to danceable vintage pop. I urge you to buy their album, really I cannot say enough wonderful things about these folks! mp3’s are below.

Next up was Tokyo Police Club minus their drummer who was severely ill. If you’ve ever heard TPC music you understand why this is a big problem. After two acoustic songs, the canucks were joined on stage by members of Delta Spirit and Cold war kids who formed a crazy drumcorps which consisted of people stomping and clapping, playing sleigh bells, shakers, trash can lids, tambourines, beer bottles, drum sticks, piano lids, 3 snare drums, and anything else they could bang. I strongly suggest you pick up their stuff as well.

Next was a short and unplanned performance from local poet and cold war pal Derrick Brown who was freaking hillarious and quite skilled as well.

Cold War Kids took the stage to play to a VERY FULL mercy lounge, the atmosphere was great everyone was dancing and genuinely having a good time which is something that you unfortunately don’t see much of at rock shows anymore. After a short and sparse Willie Johnson cover the kids ripped right into Robbers and Cowards standout We Used to Vacation and didn’t look back from there. The entire place erupted when the bass riff to Hang me up to Dry began and sang along to the refrain of Hospital Beds. The best moment of the evening came when Delta Spirit and TPC joined the kids in their entirety (twelve people on a very small stage) for a wonderful rendition of an already wonderful song, Saint John. They formed the afformentioned clapping/sleigh belling/tambourining/beer bottle banging, shaker shaking drum corp and provided some wonderful background vocals.

In the end nothing could stop me from enjoying what turned out to be a phenomenal and wonderfully fun show. I can say with the greatest of confidence that you’ll be hearing ALOT from all three of these fine assemblies of lads in the near future. They’re just too good to go un-noticed.

[mp3] Cold War Kids – Hospital Beds
[mp3] Cold War Kids – Saint John
[mp3] Cold War Kids – Hair Down
[mp3] Cold War Kids – We Used to Vacation

[mp3] Delta Spirit – Streetwalker

[mp3] Tokyo Police Club – Citizens of Tommorow

EDIT: The kids have posted some pics of their day in Nashville on their site/tour blog.