 Where to begin? Yesterday was great, no not great, but instead spectacular. I voted early for the upcoming election. I got a new pair of kicks that I had been eyeing for a while, I saw two awesome live bands, and I found out there’s a rabid group of people who hate me, or maybe it’s just one. I was doing so well with getting drama out of my life too. Oh snap! Either way, I had more fun yesterday than I have in a long time.
I saw The Sideshow Tramps open up for an equally spectacular band, The Sideshow Tragedy. Yes, both bands have similar names, and could be confused quite easily and they’re both from Texas, but they are both rather distinct when you hear them.
I arrived at White Water around 9:45 just as the Tramps were kicking in to gear. My first thought was, man, there’s nothing to do in Little Rock on a Wednesday night, so where is everyone? There could not have been more than 30 people there including the bands. Well, those who did not go missed some awesome music. The Sideshow Tramps, from Houston, were up first and they are always a sight to be seen. Four guys, about 10 different instruments between them, and a great attitude led to a raucous 40 or so minute long set. Self-described as “peasant music played for the elite as well as elite music for peasants” on their Myspace page, I couldn’t agree more. Roots, country, and Roma music have heavily influence them, and if you had the chance to see them it would be very apparent. I love the fact that they choose to use a bucket bass, spoons, a saw, and a washboard among other more traditional instruments. They are not just good live music, but also a fun show to just sit back and watch.
After the Tramps finished up, The Sideshow Tragedy (pictured) set up. I saw them on their last go around through White Water when they were known as Nathan Singleton and His Sideshow Tragedy. I’m not sure what warranted the name change, but I personally prefer the shorter name. Three equally amazing musicians, from Austin, headed up by Singleton on vocals, put on one of the most energetic shows I’ve seen in months. They played like they were playing for a full house instead of the 20 or so people that were still there. If I had not seen the last time they graced that particular stage, I would not have expected such passion. They delve heavily in to the blues, country, and punk genres of music, and I feel as if they are the perfect combination of the three. The only small problem I had with the show was that while Singleton has a great voice, more often than not his vocals would get lost in the music. Oh well, it was still a fun time, and they’re coming back through LR in November, for I’m sure what will be another memorable night.
--L
P.S. As much as some of you might like me to disappear from this place, I’m not going anywhere any time soon. If you don’t like what I do here, then I once again wholeheartedly encourage you to go out, see a show, and submit something you would like to see on here instead of simply complaining about it while doing absolutely nothing to remedy the situation.
(photo by: Ed Verosky)
 The first word that comes to mind when I hear Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears mentioned is solid. There was never a lull in their music, which is a rare thing these days at shows. Usually, a band will start off strong, get kind of weak, and finish the set with strength. That was not the case at Sticky Fingerz when Lewis and his Honeybears graced the stage from their native Austin, TX.
I listened to their Myspace page before the show as I’ve become accustomed to do after a couple not so great shows. The three songs it offered were great, and that gave me really high hopes for this show. Let’s just say I was not disappointed in the least. Each song was powerful and kept everyone’s attention. He really is phenomenal in person, which leads me to the point that I almost always say people are better live, but that’s the honest truth. One does not get the true feel for an artist if they don’t see them live. Part of what makes live music so entertaining and dear to me is the way an artist acts on stage and what mannerisms he or she might portray. I’m often times amused at to what personality I can see instead of being left to guess what the person is like in person after only listening to a couple songs.
I can see as how my thoughts may be misconstrued as snooty, but it’s true. I’m just thankful that Little Rock caters to all these great acts. I really am blessed with one of the best music scenes in the general area. I feel lucky that a town of a little under 200,000 can have such a flourishing music scene to this day. I’m now obliged to mention the Towncraft documentary here. If you haven’t seen or heard of it, do yourself a favor and look it up. My only regret after watching it was that I was not born sooner. It explains the music scene in Little Rock from the late 80’s to give or take 2007. Really, it’s a great and everyone who loves live music in town can benefit from seeing it.
Yes, I have a tendency to digress, but I’m going back to Lewis now. He is from Austin and I’m glad he decided to play a gig here. It was such a joy to see the whole band, six members in total, play with such vigor the whole time. Even though the group was large, my attention did not stray from Lewis for very long. He’s got a great bluesy/soul voice that is perfectly compatible with the brass & guitar filled music. The whole group got people dancing up a storm, including this one older man who, for lack of a better word, was jammin’. I saw a lot of happy faces in the crowd, but at around 12:15 I turned around the place had emptied out. Really, what else is there to do on a Friday night in downtown Little Rock? I felt that was kind of rude to Lewis and the rest of the band, but the few people who did stay behind clamored for more when he finished his set 20 or so minutes later. Lewis stuck around to say hi to everyone and was just generally a nice guy, and I was so impressed by how good this band was, I am definitely looking forward to their next appearance in Little Rock.
-L
 I started listening to U2 at the age of 17. I had heard them before, but I mean I started really listening at that age. I was working my first job as a busboy and occasional fry cook at a Bonanza restaurant in my hometown. When I would get off after clean-up around midnight, I was always totally exhausted and reeking of grease, but I usually found time to catch some TV before a shower and bed. It was during this time that the last song on U2's Rattle and Hum album, "All I Want Is You," was released as a single, and a music video to the song was constantly being played on MTV late at night. It was an odd video, shot in black and white with an unusual cinematic approach centered on the story of a dwarf in a traveling circus who falls in love with a trapeze artist, one of whom apparently dies toward the end. For several weeks I would see this video after work at least once or twice a week, and it made a lasting impression on me. My uncle was the only person I knew who had a good stereo system, with a CD player and Klipsch speakers, and I began listening to the album regularly, turning it up as loud as I could get away with. That's still the way I like to listen to U2 -- loud -- and the symphonic crescendo of strings and electric guitar toward the end of that song still gets to me. That song was the culmination of Rattle and Hum and of the musical phase it marked the end of for the band.
My admiration for U2's music has only broadened and increased over the years, and I never tire of it, although I find that my preference for particular songs changes from time to time. I'm a skeptical person and not one to be fanatical about much of anything, but the band's music has meant so much to me over the years that I find myself wanting them to do well and making excuses for them on those few occasions where a performance, for whatever reason, isn't quite up to par. But all these years later, U2 still surprise me from time to time. The most recent example happened when I watched "Under a Blood Red Sky," the new DVD release of their classic June 5, 1983, concert at Red Rocks amphitheatre near Denver, the one that introduced many to Red Rocks and that brought America's attention to U2.
I was amazed at the audio quality of the DVD, but I was more amazed at the performance. This was U2 still in their early 20s, before their collaboration with Brian Eno and Danny Lanois, before their huge success with The Joshua Tree, before the self-parody of Achtung Baby. Here they were as idealistic, optimistic, and, yes, cocky young performers who wanted to change the world. They have always been a fundamentally live band, and that has never been more evident than in this early performance, featuring material from their first three albums, Boy, October, and the then-recently-released War. Absent are the Eno-inspired atmospherics of later albums. Instead, the listener is treated to the raw, unadulterated, New Wave, post-punk rock that had already made U2 famous in Europe and that was beginning to have ripples across the sea.
For those who don't know the backstory to this concert, read this link to a May 23, 2008 Denver Post article that describes it well. The concert almost didn't happen. The weather was terrible, cold and wet, and the amphitheatre was intermittently shrouded in mist and drizzle. But at the band's insistence the show went on for the four or five thousand dedicated fans who showed up to brave the elements. The dreary weather, the large flaming torches at the top of the cliffs, the excited crowd, and the equally excited band combined to create a dramatic atmosphere for the concert video, and it comes off well on DVD, so much so that I would venture to say that even those not particularly fond of the band's more well-known music would enjoy the film.
There is no shortage of memorable moments -- Bono falling backwards into the crowd for an impromptu moment of body-surfing, Bono pulling a girl up on stage to dance with during "Party Girl," another girl crashing the stage, only to be pulled off by security, and an overzealous fan trying to pull the microphone from Bono's hand as he stands near the edge of the stage. The performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" stands out as a classic, with Bono marching to the edge of the stage to plant a white flag of truce in the crowd as a statement against the violence in Northern Ireland. The music is as stirring and energetic as I've heard from the band, and it's clear they truly enjoyed this performance and this audience.
Now in their late 40s, the band are currently wrapping up work on their twelfth studio album, to be released sometime in early 2009, to be followed by another world tour. The buzz is that this will be another departure album, much like Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby were before it. It will be interesting to see if the new album succeeds in capturing the hearts and minds (and pocketbooks) of younger listeners or if this will turn out to be another example of pre-release hype that the album is unable to live up to. As they say, only time will tell. In the meantime, fan's of U2's live performances will do themselves a favor to add this DVD to their collection. It could be my bias in favor of this remarkable band that leads me to say you won't regret it...but I don't think so.
-Richie Graham
 Last night certainly was interesting. I made my way over to West Little Rock and arrived at Studio Joe in front of The Sports Authority complex. I’d never been there before and after a slight mishap with a locked front door, I made my back towards the rear of the building to find an unlocked door. Not really knowing what to expect of the place, I walked in and was greeted by a very warm atmosphere. As I made my way to a very warn, but super comfortable looking leather chair, I took in my surroundings while several friendly faces said, “Hello” to me. As I looked around, the place is a cozy, little coffee shop. There was art scattered around on the walls, several well-worn leather chairs, and a handful of more formal tables. Directly at the back of the venue is a small stage, but it did not seem all that small in my mind once the evening’s entertainment took it by storm.
I was at Studio Joe to hear Kat Hood and Chuck Gilbert. I had on good authority from one of my friends that Hood was a show I should not miss. I’m particularly glad I went and as I waited for about twenty minutes for the show to start, several other people showed up bringing the grand total of the audience to a whopping thirteen including the bartender. That was great though, because sometimes one just needs a quiet, intimate show, and I was thrilled that the night turned out to be that way. Hood & Gilbert kicked off their performance at 7:45 and launched right in to things with a rousing cover of Eric Clapton’s song “Piece of My Heart.” I must say right here, that I spent a bit of time actually taking notes about the show, so there may be a few more specific details this time around than before, but I think that’s a good thing for once.
After the Clapton song, Hood & Gilbert gave a rousing hello to all of their friends. I was the only one in the crowd that they did not know, but they took the time to ask me if I’d ever been to the venue, what my name was, and to introduce themselves. I thought that was a really cool gesture especially in the close-knit group of friends. Even though everyone knew each other, I felt readily accepted and was amazed at the kindness directed towards me. Yes I digress, but I’ll get back to the show now.
Next up, the duo played an original called “Euphazean.” I had no idea how to spell that during the show, but due to the generosity of Hood, I was given a copy of her CD and it thankfully had that song on there. This was easily one of my favorite songs of the night because I loved the fact that this girl was the daughter of one of Hood’s patients. Even though Hood doesn’t know Euphazean, she wrote this really amusing song about her. I find that kind of imagination in songwriting to be one of my favorite aspects of the art. I think my other favorite original from the night, played directly after the aforementioned, was “Why The Hell Not?” This is in reference to Kinky Friedman. If you don’t know who he is, shame on you. Go look him up, now! I unfortunately missed his last Little Rock show. Anyways, it was a rather quirky song, for an equally quirky man. Basically what I’m trying to say is that it’s a great song and most entertaining.
Next came a couple Gillian Welch covers. I loved hearing the difference between Hood & Gilbert’s versions compared to Welch’s originals. It was also interesting to hear that the Good Time Ramblers derived their name from Welch’s song “Wayside.” I only bring in GTR because Hood is the mom of their lead singer, John. Basically, she got in to a small argument over what the correct lyrics were, and well let’s just say Kat won that one. I was thoroughly amused by her infusion of personal life and joking around during the whole set. I love when artists do that, and I wish more did.
Next came a couple more original songs, then a cover of ‘Tell Me Why” by The Beatles. About this time, I was realizing that the sound in this humble, little place was really good. I wasn’t expecting it to be the best in the world, but it was good for the size of the place. After my musings, came a few more original songs, and my absolute favorite quote of the night by both musicians, “She taught me John Prine, and I taught her Steely Dan.” With that quote came a few Prine & Steely Dan covers that were excellent. My favorite cover of the night, which coincidentally I heard later at White Water Tavern from the Sarah Hughes Trio, was “In Spite of Ourselves.” I had never heard the song before, so while Kat & Chuck were singing it, I was cracking up. Prine is definitely someone I will check out in the future.
Kat & Chuck had a couple of their buddies come up and sing a few songs while they took a fifteen-minute break. Conrad & Sarah Shoemaker, pardon me for not checking on the actual spelling of their last name, came up and sang some folksy songs. They did a cover of Josh Ritter’s song “Lawrence, Kansas,” which was really good. They also sang “Cats in Space” which had me laughing a lot. They were a nice interlude to the scheduled performers and I’d love to hear more of them in the future.
After they finished up, Hood & Gilbert took the stage again and did a few more covers with their friend Paul Colebert, pardon me again for not getting the last name in this case. The one thing that tickled me about their second set was that they kept playing sing-a-long songs. I loved that they were comfortable enough to do that, and they were a hit with the audience. They are really humble folks, and I’m glad I had the pleasure of seeing them. The show started at 7:45 and lasted until 10:15ish. I was a little surprised because I had previously heard that the shows ended on an early note at Studio Joe, but it was a joy that the evening went on later than I thought. Kat has a great voice, that’s kind of earthy, but also commanding, and Gilbert sure knows how to pluck a guitar. They compliment each other so very well, and I look forward to seeing them again soon.
--L
 Theresa Andersson brought her one-woman show to Sticky Fingerz last night and left what is sure to be a lasting impression on all who were fortunate enough to have seen and heard it. Those who showed up not knowing about her unique style of performance (including me) were stunned by the sheer audacity, talent, style, and beauty of what they experienced. It's nearly impossible not to fall under this woman's spell.
For those not familiar with Andersson's recent work, highlighted in her latest album, 2008's Hummingbird, Go!, she uses a series of foot-controlled loop pedals to sample short segments of musical sound created with, at various times, a violin, a guitar, a dulcimer, drums, a record player, and her own voice, live on stage. She then performs by singing and playing live while at the same time playing back the looped recordings of one or more of the instruments to emulate the sound of a full band and an array of back-up singers. All the while, Andersson bounces, sways and just generally appears to have a great time making her olympic physical, vocal and musical dexterity appear to be a piece of cake. It makes for one hell of a show, and she clearly enjoys leaving an uninitiated audience dumbfounded by the end of her first song. Her playful enthusiasm and abandon while onstage, combined with her incredible talent, is mesmerizing to watch, and I caught more than one person last night mouthing words of surprise and amazement to other people in the audience.
Swedish by birth, Andersson moved to New Orleans in 1990 to play violin with fellow Swede Anders Osborne. She still calls the city home, and it was in her kitchen there that, along with producer Tobias Froberg, she recorded Hummingbird, Go! for Basin Street Records in the fall of 2007. Her self-made video of her performing the song "Na Na Na" in her kitchen became somewhat of a YouTube sensation, and she has since posted another video recorded in the same kitchen for "Birds Fly Away".
Andersson's sound is almost as hard to describe as her technique. It's been described as everything from indie to soul to jazz and blues-rock, and there are probably elements of all of that in her music. It is certainly ethereal at times, often experimental, and always intriguing. The sixth track, "Innan du Gar", centers on what sounds like a traditional Chinese melody. "Na Na Na", with its infectious drum riff and back-beat rimshots, is pure indie. "God's Highway" has a melodic folk sound to it, softer but no less interesting. Frankly, the album doesn't have a bad track on it.
If you missed her show last night, watch Andersson's kitchen videos to see what you missed, and make plans to be there next time. You can watch "Na Na Na" here, and "Birds Fly Away" here.
-Richie Graham
 I’m not going to sidestep the issue here. Everyone at LRLM.net knows I’m the loose cannon of the group. I’m fine with that, so why should that change now? To preface all of this, I am still coming off of a cold, so I’ve been in lower spirits recently, but I still want to address some things about Rev Room as a venue. Sure, it's a huge place that caters to pretty much every walk of life. The beer is overpriced, but what venue in downtown Little Rock isn’t horrendously overpriced? I see the wheels in your head turning and they can’t come up with a good answer for that question. To continue, the venue has great lighting and ample space for a lot of people in front of the stage and immediately behind closer to the bar. Finally, they have been booking decent acts where other venues have been falling off. I’m okay with most of that, but last night was one of the most unpleasant experiences I have had there, and maybe I can’t fully blame it on the venue itself, but I sure can say that I won’t be going back until Wolf Parade in November, unless something spectacularly decent comes through before that date.
My night started off all right. I got the venue around 8:30, and was surprised to see that the first opener, Arranda (who I’ve never heard of), had been playing since about 8pm as the website advertised as the time of the start of the show. Normally I thought they’d just be getting started after sound checks and goofing around, but I’ll give the venue props for actually starting when they said they would. Arranda was okay. There were lots of heavy bass lines, jostling drumbeats, and crazy amounts of guitar. I only heard two of their songs, but they were pretty catchy and very high energy. After they finished, they cleared off the stage and made way for the better known opener.
People in Planes took the stage and were immediately plagued by technical difficulties. They spent around 20 minutes or so fixing everything and by the time they were finally ready to play they apologized profusely, even though it wasn’t their fault. They started playing and immediately got the crowd in to it. They are pretty straight up indie rock, but they don’t really sound like every other typical indie band. They have witty lyrics and catchy music that draws you in, so it was a pleasure to see them. I saw them several years ago and don’t remember them being as good, and I don’t know if I’ll see them again any time soon because they hail from Southern Wales, and who knows when they’ll get back to Arkansas.
So, my night had been decent up until that point. I got my front row center spot for the Toadies. As soon as I’d gotten settled in there, a burly security guard comes up to me and says, “You have a camera? You were taking photos during the last set? You can’t take photos during the Toadies.” He was not nice about the whole thing, and from what I could see, I was the only one he told that too. I tried asking why, but he disappeared quickly, leaving me confused and pretty pissed off. As I stand there silently fuming, this guy muscles his way in to the front directly besides me. I brush it off for a while, but soon come to realize it’s going to be that guy who no one wants to stand next to because he's that obnoxious. Sure, it’s fantastic when a band can bring out those kinds of fans, but I’ll be dammed if I want to stand next to them. After a monitor was almost dropped on my foot because that idiot just fell over, I decided I’d had enough of this guy. He kept pushing in to me, so I threw a few swift elbows here and there. He finally calmed down a bit and after a while left to go towards the back. I was relieved, and up until that point had had a sneer on my face. That prompted the Toadies’ bassist, Doni, to mouth at me, “Are you ok?” I silently mouthed back yes, and kind of rolled my eyes towards where the guy had been. He nodded at me in agreement and smiled at me. They continued to play and delivered just as great of a performance as the last time I saw them in December 2007. The show this time was more loud, raucous, and high energy. I was none to thrilled when a mosh pit started up behind me and pushed me in to the stage. So naturally, I threw a few more elbows in its general direction and people shifted away. The Toadies were good. They’re straight up post-grunge, alt-rock. They played the popular crowd favorites, “Possum Kingdom”, “Tyler”, “Dollskin”, and “I Come From the Water.” The crowd sang along to all of these, and it was just interesting to see that that many people knew all of the words. The Toadies also played several new songs, which I’d never heard and they were pretty good. So, to sum up all of that, The Toadies, no matter how many line-up switches and years go by, can still bring it and play a great show.
I did take some photos of them after I was told not to. They didn’t turn out that well because I couldn’t risk getting the camera I was using confiscated, so I wanted to say sorry in advance. At the end of the Toadies encore, the bassist leaned over and stripped his set list from the stage and handed it to me, instead of the 10 other people around him, all the while saying, “Sorry you had to stand by that asshole.” That literally made my night. The group stuck around afterwards and talked to their fans, took photos with them, and signed whatever anyone could come up with, including this one girl’s foot, as long as she promised not to get it tattooed on. They are a great group of guys, and I’d willingly see them again the next time they come through Little Rock.
--L
P.S. I have a big mouth and that translates in to me writing too much sometimes, but I’m not particularly sorry about that. :o)
 I really do not know how I can follow up to LC’s latest blog about Yazoo Shakes, but I’ll give it my best shot. I literally laughed for ten minutes because everything he said was true. Well, almost everything was true. Technically I’ve never started two true bar fights, but instead have been in several verbal ones (Note: this is not really the place to go in to details, but if you know me, I’ll be more than happy to divulge the craziness that ensued Tuesday/Wednesday night at White Water).
So, now that I’ve cleared up that, I can get down to business. Without a doubt, I love when American Aquarium comes through and I know I’m being repetitive when I say that, but I would not be saying that if it weren’t true. They are some of the most down to earth, genial guys I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. So, as I said above, they played a headlining show at White Water on Tuesday night. The crowd was literally cut in half due to the horrible sounds coming from the band that directly preceded them. However, this little fact did not shake them. The five guys went up and put on one fine show. They were loud, raucous, and most of all happy to be up on the stage that they have grown ever so familiar with. They played all the crowd favorites and got myself Travis Hill, and a couple of our friends to lean in and sing along to a lot of their songs. I love the feeling of being that close to performers and that’s one of the magical things about a band playing at WWT. It’s as if the audience that crowds the stage becomes a part of the band and vice versa. I think the word I’m reaching for here is intimate. It’s one of the best adjectives I can think of for this particular venue and I’m sure most people would agree.
Somewhere near the middle of their set, BJ, the lead singer, announced that Matt White booked them for the next night. They were happy to give up their day off to spend it with dedicated fans that they knew would come out the next evening as well. They announced that Magic Hassle would open, but alas, one half of that duo came down with something, and decided to cancel last minute. That was all right though, because it just made the evening even more fun. American Aquarium took the stage again and promptly announced that it would be an evening of requests and it was going to be super laid back which the show was. The thing that touched me the most was that some of the band members would single out fans by name and ask what they wanted to hear. I was asked, and I requested “Lonely Ain’t Easy.” I should have just said play all of their EP, Bones. It’s by far my favorite of their CDs and I just really like the raw feel to it. They ended up playing about half of it, and that made my night. They also played several songs that BJ does not normally play because as he said, he doesn’t like singing about that one specific ex. However, he was a stand up guy and played the songs that were requested therefore forming an even stronger bond with the few fans that came back. After the show, pretty much every one of the five guys apologized for their poor performance, but really, they weren’t that bad. I guess I just don’t have the ear to pick out all of the mess-ups they claimed to have made. Nonetheless, it was awesome of them to admit they had had flaws instead of claiming to be the best ever, even though the audience didn’t care.
I know this is starting to seem like a novel, because when I get going I really get going. I promise I’ll wrap it up really soon. After the show, the guys invited some of the few stragglers that were still at the bar over to the house they were staying at. Several people went over, and I’ll just say that it reminded me of some of my college days. Mountain Dew cans are more useful than one might think, even though that wasn’t for me. Drunken men playing guitars, no matter how bad they claim to be, are better than they think. Most of all though, I really got to sit down and talk with people and it was a great night overall. I feel as the more I hang out with them, the closer I can come to calling them extended family. That’s how amazing these men are and that’s how good of an impression they have made on me. I can only hope they’ll be back sooner rather than later, and I highly look forward to their new CD and their next visit to the place that they lovingly call their home away from home.
-L
Tuesday night at WWT just added to the legend of American Aquarium. See LB's comments on the lead-in page, as well as several other reviews we've done - AA never fails to impress. Always a good time - high energy, great songs, - and now signed to Little Rock's own Last Chance Records. Hailing from North Carolina, their former hometown of Raleigh has now taken "home away from home" status with LR taking the top stop (figuratively, at least), while lead man BJ Barham proclaimed that it has been way too long since they've played White Water - almost two whole months.
But really I'm here to write about their lead-in band, Yazoo Shakes, from Memphis, TN. Haven't seen anything quite like that since ....... hell, never seen anything quite like that. Hoping it might help to portray this band, I posted this picture I found on their mySpace page --->
but then I decided the pic was too mainstream, so a verbal description must suffice.
First let me say that photog Lizzie would not, could not, turn and face them while they were playing - and she's started two barfights in the short time I've known her. Yazoo Shakes lead singer and keyboard "aficionado" - let's call him a Gregg Allman lookalike for lack of a better description - well, let's not use the word singer -- lead screamer Clay Ayers -- well let's not make people think he plays even as well as Gregg Allman - put on quite an exhibition. And someone should explain the musical concept of "key" to this merry band of troubadors, as in, let's all play in the same one. This cacophany of blaring, screeching owls could only mean one thing - someone owed a HUGE favor to their booking agent, and it was time to pay up.
Overheard --> "if a thousand monkeys were given musical instruments and allowed to play for a thousand seconds, this is what they would come up with."
I kept thinking these people must be putting us on - like maybe Ashton Kutcher was going to come in, grab a mike, and tell us we'd all been punk'd. But after 4 or 5 songs and all I had seen was Brandon coming down the stairs, and then only because Matt made him do it to provide "audience," I knew this band was for real - well, let's not use the word "real". Suddenly, the police showed up bearing a noise complaint -- from the deaf school. {bah dah bump}
A song or two later, T noticed the drummer and guitarist starting to make eye contact - "yeah, we got it going on now" they seemed to be communicating. Uh, no fellas, you don't. But do let me hasten to add that the two ladies in the group were somewhat the Shake's redemption - trumpeter Kate and fiddler/accordioner "the girl with the long red hair" were at the very least attractive and certainly worth watching (though I might suggest we give the accordion a rest) -- which then made me think, "where is everyone?" No Travis, no Cara dancing, no Hendrix crowd, not even Brandon -- leaving only T, and me and Lizzie -- and she with her back still turned. Isn't the opening band supposed to draw people to the main act?
I couldn't believe Lee's text message when I read it Monday night. "Heartless bastards and langhorne slim at sticky fingerz." I had been back in town since about 1:30 that afternoon when my plane landed at Little Rock National, but, unlike the rest of us, Lee had carpooled back from Austin City Limits and hadn't even left Austin when we took off for the airport. So you'll understand the surprised tone to my responses in the ensuing conversation:
"Are you going?"
"Yep. getting ready to head down now"
"How long have you been back??"
"530. Got a run in, relaxed, ready to go"
"You're a real trooper"
After some more electronic to-ing and fro-ing, Lee talked me into heading down to Stickyz, "just til 10:30 or so." That would give me enough time, hopefully, to hear Langhorne Slim's full set, although I'd probably miss all or most of Heartless Bastards. That was a decent compromise in order to make it back into the office Tuesday morning at a decent hour after being off work for two days. Besides, it was Langhorne Slim that I really wanted to hear. I had listened to a few of his tracks prior to ACL (see previous blog post) and was looking forward to hearing him at the festival, but we just didn't make it on time that day. How cool was it that I was now going to get to hear him after all, and in my own hometown, on a Monday night, no less? Well let me tell you something -- it turned out to be pretty damn cool indeed.
LS took to the stage in front of a decent Monday night crowd and expressed mild concern that most everyone was seated, predicting that such a state of affairs wouldn't last for long. He then wasted no time turning his prophecy into the foregone conclusion that it was by drawing the crowd to its feet with one masterful performance after another in a truly brilliant set. This folk singer-songwriter has something about him that sets him apart from the others. Part of it is the lyrics, part of it is the music, and part of it is the stage presence and delivery. He looks, sounds and acts just like what you think a folk singer should look like - part Woody Guthrie, part Bob Dylan. But it doesn't seem to be mimickry. It feels, at least, like it's genuine. Like LS on stage is truly LS. He isn't, of course. LS is really Sean Scolnick, originally from Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and now based in Brooklyn, New York. He and his band the War Eagles have been making something of a name for themselves on the festival circuit. It's a lean act - besides Scolnick on vocals and acoustic guitar, there's Paul Defiglia on bass and Malachi DeLorenzo on drums. What the band lacks in numbers they make up on style, determination, and sheer ability. And LS's lyrics are thoughful, inventive and concise, never indulgent or contrived...
just dont know what it is
i just dont know what it is
to be free
to hold and have somebody lean on me
can blame it on your teachers
you can blame it on the weather
can blame it on how your mother and your father didn't stick together
someday darlin its got to make sense in your head
can't make up your mind till you wake up and make your bed
and
i just don't know what it is
i just don't know what it is
to be free
to hold and have somebody lean on me
(lyrics from Restless)
10:30 came all too soon. I stuck around until about 10:45, not in time to hear any of Heartless Bastards, but enough time to enjoy all of Langhorne Slim's show and pick up a CD that I'm sure will become a favorite. If LS and the War Eagles come back through Little Rock anytime soon, you really need to make it a point to hear these guys live. In the meantime, check out this clip on YouTube of their appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, performing, fittingly enough, Restless.
-Richie Graham
|
RSS Feed