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Sunday, April 15, 2007

Live Review: David Bazan/Will Johnson; Jennifer O'Connor/Little Brazil tonight...

I've seen Pedro the Lion two or three times, and though I love all of the albums, I always thought the live show was somewhat blah. Maybe it was the redundancy of the rhythms or the static nature of the arrangements, but I was always bored, and felt the strongest feature of the performance -- Bazan's under-rated voice -- was left hidden beneath the thunderous buzz. I honestly wasn't expecting much better last night at The Saddle Creek Bar. I certainly wasn't expecting anyone to be there since there seemed to be hardly any promotion of the show -- nothing in the weeklies, nothing in the OWH (unless I overlooked it). In the end, there was around 80 people on hand last night -- a respectable crowd, though the place looked empty because most of the tables that usually fill the floor in front of the stage were gone -- I guess someone expected a much larger crowd. It's a shame because it really was more of a sit-down type performance -- you're just not going to get a bunch of people standing in front of the stage for two solo singer-songwriters.

Anyway, Will Johnson of Centro-matic and South San Gabriel was up first, alone with an electric guitar. Johnson's voice is rich and dark, but spiked with range and nuance and plenty of character, like drinking a hot cup of strong, sweet tea. Not since Eddie Vedder has there been a singer with such a unique, brassy voice, the kind that you're satisfied just hearing. It doesn't really matter what he's singing. And that was case last night -- there was so much delay and pedal effects in the mix, I couldn't understand a word Johnson sang, but it didn't really matter. His voice was merely another layer of beautiful sound melted over his solemn chord progressions. Songs like the Centro-matic classic "Flashes and Cables" were retooled as heart-broken dirges, quiet moans over an open prairie at sunset. A little of that moan, however, went a long way, and I was beginning to nod off toward the end of his set. He kicked it up at the end with a couple tunes that featured a repeated, sampled guitar riff -- I've never seen that before. He played a riff and recorded it with a foot-pedal sample device, and then played another guitar part on top of it -- essentially doubling his guitar power. Pretty cool. The set ended with Johnson bent over the foot pedal, slowly turning down the volume on the riff until it disappeared.

I only recognized one or two songs from Bazan's solo set, but then again, Achilles Heel is the last album I've heard from him. I haven't heard any of the Headphones recordings or whatever else he's been up to since 2004. That said, it was the most interesting set I've seen him perform. Bazan does a lot of things with his guitar to fill out his sound. He didn't need a band to cover up his voice, which never sounded better. As strange as it seems, his range, style and song structure reminded me a lot of Elvis Costello (but without EC's characteristic choking gasps at the end of ever phrase). You could imagine EC singing a Bazan song, just as you could image Bazan singing one of EC's ballads. Unlike Johnson's set, every clever, sardonic, cynical and true lyric was understood, and though Pedro songs have an undercurrent of depressing realism, these tunes showcased a dark humor, as if Bazan was sharing secrets about his world with an audience that already knew them. His between-song patter was dry, funny and upbeat (so was Johnson's). He often followed a song with "Does anyone have any questions at this point in the evening?" Inevitably someone shouted out something:

"What do you like best about Omaha?" Answer: Some Thai or Japanese restaurant where he dined earlier in the evening. "I'm going to have what they call 'fire in the hole' tomorrow."

"What would you do if you won $3 million?" Answer: Buy a new Kia Rio to replace his family's current model, which has over 100,000 miles on it. "I'd try not to be a dick about it."

"Do you know any good jokes?" Answer: What kind of bee gives milk? "A booby."

It was that kind of an evening. And as good as the music was, after an hour of Bazan, it did get a bit long. Bazan seemed to know this, saying that it's a constant struggle to provide audiences with enough material so they think they've gotten their money's worth, while leaving them wanting more. I think he and Johnson managed to do both last night.

Tonight at The Waiting Room, Matador Records artist Jennifer O'Connor takes the stage with Little Brazil and The Holy Ghost Revival. O'Connor's style is often compared to early Liz Phair (back before Phair sold out). I don't think O'Connor's style is nearly as confessional or naked, however, it's still among the best stuff out there in this style of singer-songwriter fare. $8, 9 p.m.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--


 

posted by Tim at 10:14 AM

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Posts Before February 2005