10Feb20 Daughter of Swords/The Dead Tongues @ Rough Trade
A really wonderful night of North Carolina folk last night at Rough Trade. RT works fine in all circumstances, I’ve enjoyed myself when it’s packed and I’ve enjoyed myself when it’s 3/4 full for all types of genres, literally from jazz to folk and all points in between. But last night it felt extra warm and cozy, those early weeknight shows when it’s less than half full and the musicians seem to be taking full advantage of the excellent sound in the room. Last night was a true double bill, both artists out of Asheville, clearly friendly with each other, touring together… they shared the same bass/drums rhythm section and both sat in with each other during the sets.
We got there a song or two into The Dead Tongues set. The Dead Tongues is Ryan Gustafson, who has put out several of his own albums and orbits in the Hiss Golden Messenger galaxy, touring as his guitarist. His album Montana which came out a couple years ago was a favorite of mine, one I featured in my JamBase column (note to self: need to get back on writing that thing for 2020), which I had kind of forgotten about until I was writing the Bowery Presents preview for this show and then I was excited to see him + band. They did not disappoint. Gustafson played guitar, acoustic and electric, banjo, harmonica, and even for a moment, lap steel, all wonderfully. Fantastic songwriting, he definitely had a HGM feel, with a voice that was a softer version of the Felice Brothers. That rhythm section was realllly awesome, I think they might play with Hiss Golden Messenger as well. It was Alex Bingham on bass and Jon Westerlund on drums, both of them were fantastic the entire time, creating some wonderfully understated backing rhythms. Westerlund played a kit, but also had a range of percussion stuff and really felt more like a percussionist than a drummer, shaking and hitting things, often while working his kit with brushes or mallets. Bingham played a Hohner, which is, under the right guidance, one of the great sounds in western music. He was often playing an almost lead role, just lovely, soft cushiony bass playing, like sitting in your favorite well-worn couch. So good. As I mentioned, Daughter of Swords — i.e. Alexandra Sauser-Monnig came out and sang back-up on one song. A really great set all around, no lulls, every song was great, some very nice guitar and banjo playing as well…
After a short change, Daughter of Swords was up. I had seen her at Union Pool last year, but that was a solo show and since then she’s toured opening for Wilco and Sylvan Esso and singing with Sylvan Esso and more. Actually between Sylvan Esso and Hiss Golden and both of these acts and more, there is clearly a nice thing going on down in North Carolina and you really got a sense of how it feeds itself last night. So, Alexandra has been touring this stuff for a while and then she played last night with a full band (the rhythm section I’ve already mentioned and praised, as well as Maia Friedman on guitar/back-up vocals (she has her own thing called Uni Ika Ai, who I saw at the Landlady Holiday Spectacular back in December (Adam Schatz was in the audience last night))). She opened as she did that Union Pool show with a very a capella, solitary performance, just her voice, which felt almost disembodied from the woman standing there. She later mentioned she was in the throes of a bad cold, and it kind of showed, but not in a bad way, it kind of added an extra little wrinkle to her otherwise pristine singing voice… I thought she made it work. She’s that good. It also should be mentioned that she is one third of the folk vocal act Mountain Man which is like, the creme de la creme of vocal trios these days, although “these days” isn’t really a good way of putting it, I think they’re on hiatus or done completely. Anyway, back to the set… things got real good once the band came out. They lit a stick of incense which gave an even cozier feel to the room, and made it smell good — not quite a salt cave, but nice — and the band really gave her songs just the amount of measured oomph that they need. I mean, I enjoyed seeing her sing them solo, but this was much nicer. Gustafson came out on two occasions to add some extra guitar and I thought those songs worked the best, although Friedman was also great on guitar. The whole damn band was great, her banter was sweet and funny (asking people what they had for breakfast) and her cold-dragged voice was still great.
A lovely show, perfect Monday night vibes and energy in the room. Be on the lookout for new music from the Dead Tongues, he’s very good and promised plenty to come this year…
11Feb20
Marc Ribot (with a collective of Haitian-BK Rara musicians) @ The Stone
Hard to pass up a chance to catch Marc Ribot at the Stone, I’m sure every night will be a thriller one way or the other. Last night’s show was the one that best fit my schedule this week, so that’s the one I hit. It also had one of the more who-knows-what’ll-happen lineups of the week, basically Ribot playing with a bunch of Haitian musicians playing instruments I’ve never heard of. Who knows what!
So, the place was pretty much sold out, they declared “standing room only” for latecomers, which is not something I’ve seen there before, in fact, they’ve eschewed standing in the past. Interesting development. Thankfully I had a seat saved (thanks, Andy!). The ensemble came in, Ribot sitting in a chair off to the side, the rest standing in the center. There were maybe 6 or 7 in the ensemble, one guy holding a drum, a tanbou, which is like a conga I guess, one guy playing a conch shell (indeed!), and then the rest of them were playing essentially pieces of PVD tubing (black or painted black?) with some sort of homemade also-from-Home-Depot mouthpieces on them. These homespun instruments were both banged with sticks as percussion and blown into like some sort of single-note bass clarinet/brass combination. After the show, it was explained that traditionally these instruments were made out of bamboo shafts, but that PVC is much easier to come by in the city. I like the idea of PVC as “urban bamboo” (Urban Bamboo #fakejambands), and I think that sort of traditional-meets-the-city was exactly the energy of the show.
The music was very mesmerizing. The ensemble was the central focus, they would set up a sort of droning rhythm, a cacophony of banging and blowing that only worked because they were doing it together (metaphor alert!). They also did some chanting and even a little bit of dancing along the way, which is a rare sight at the Stone. Ribot more or less soloed along. Some of the time he was adding an eerie ambiance underneath, long notes, e-bow’d as well; other times he was doing some classic Ribot-shredding on top. Regardless, he was definitely the accompaniment and not the central figure. He was “sitting in” with these guys, following along, making what they were doing more interesting in different ways, but this was not a look-at-me-I’m-Marc-Ribot kind of performance. The first piece was easily the longest, a good 15 minute stretch, the repetition of the rhythms kind of lulled you a bit, truly hypnotic and tribal, beautifully ghostly notes from Ribot seemed completely counter to the music, but it worked well. It grew in energy along the way, not because the music did, but just the mere overlapping cycles, all the miniature interplay between the tones and rhythms, seemed to grow a weight of its own as it went. That was pretty great. The other pieces varied in length or tempo, like I said, some had singing along, sometimes Marc would rip a classic Ribot solo, other times he was finding interesting ways of fitting his square peg into their round hole.
More than any other musician, Marc Ribot works on extra levels for me, merely because of all the other times I’ve seen him. I can’t shed those experiences from the one right in front of me. Ribot as leader is something to behold, a mighty beast, completely untamed. But Ribot as member of an ensemble, an ensemble led by someone else, that’s where the true magic happens. He has an uncanny way of playing like he’s the only one on stage, oblivious to his bandmates, and yet, fitting in perfectly. Perfectly in ways that always seem to surprise. I’m sure the other nights of his week at the Stone will be equally marvelous in completely different ways. I’m glad I was able to catch this one.
Subtonics @ Letlove Inn (early set)
My new obsession continues… the first early set of the Subtonics I’ve caught this year. Naturally, the band was completely different. The lineup was Costas on guitar, Nowell on sax, Mateo on drums and Isamu McGreggor on keys. What more can I say, they were fucking awesome. When we got there the music was about 5 minutes before starting and the room was, basically, empty. I think there were 10 people in the bar, 3 that were there for sure to see the music, 3 that were definitely not there to see the music, the others I’m not sure. It’s becoming so interesting how very different the Subtonics can be week to week. Last night, Costas sat, the energy in the room was quiet and pensive and the music started that way. Nowell started on flute and Costas was very, very low and slow. It was as ambient as it gets on a Tuesday at Letlove. What’s so great about these guys is the way they transition, so gradually. I like to think of this gig as the bizarro Krantz and it struck me last night how Wayne will whiplash from one movement to the next, not giving a shit if he breaks your neck in the process. Just GOGOGOGOGO! It’s pretty amazing to witness. Costas doesn’t do that… oh he’ll go from one spot to one completely different spot, but he gets from one to the other in the smallest baby steps possible. Like replacing all the water in a filled bathtub with gin one eyedropper at a time and before you know it, without noticing exactly when the transition was made (because there is no distinct time when it was made) you’re now bathing in booze. The opening piece started in this quiet flute-driven place and slowly, slowly, slowly unnoticeably transitioned and built, driving guitar peaks, blissful jam-outs, head-shaking holy-shit moments, and then, just as slowly, worked its way back down, slowly, slowly, slowly, ingeniously ending with Nowell back on the flute, Costas just as quiet as he had been at the start. That was a helluva opening jam. The rest of the set featured equally impressive shit, all different from everything before it, moment of funkiness, moments of jazziness, moments of happytime guitar playing. I thought the key to it all was the drumming, this dude allowing the band to transition so smoothly from one thing to the next, imperceptibly, that can only be done if the drummer allows it to happen and knows what he’s doing.
I could go on or I could wait until next week. You should come!
14Feb20 Puss N Boots @ Rough Trade
Third time at Rough Trade in 8 days, I believe, another great show. I believe the first (or definitely one of the first) times Puss N Boots ever played was at Mercury Lounge, back in 2009. I reviewed that one for Bowery Presents and unfortunately that review is no longer online. I’m guessing that it would fill in just fine as a review of the show last night, with some minor modifications. Over the years, the on-again/off-again trio, a sort of supergroup, has turned from a jokey side project of mostly covers to a jokey side project of half covers/half originals. The energy and musicianship has not changed a bit and that’s all for the better. The band — Norah Jones (of fucking Norah Jones!), Cat Popper (long ago in the Cardinals, played with Jack White and a bunch of others) and Sasha Dobson (NYC jazz/country singer) does NOT, I repeat, does not take themselves seriously in the least. They tell dirty jokes, dress in a style that can maybe be described as “scantily clad” (I saw them at Newport a couple years ago and Popper was somewhat hilariously dressed in what I can only call “lingerie,” at Newport Folk Festival, during the daytime… fucking amazing), banter about on stage and with each other and the crowd like they’re having a tequila in the bar, not performing for a paying audience, and, oh yeah, play some music. They are so freakin’ talented that they don’t have to try very hard to make great music, and believe me, they are not trying very hard, except maybe at having a blast doing what they’re doing. The energy is infectious, a wonderfully laid back, very casual show.
Last night was actually an album release show… they have original material! It’s actually fantastic, because they’re, like, you know, fantastic musicians and songwriters. Their harmonies are country-rock-folk perfection without putting a lot of effort into it. They rotate instruments so that all three of them play guitar and drums (!!!) (if you ever wanted to see Norah Jones play drums, this is your change). Last night they covered Dolly Parton and Tom Petty and, quite brilliantly, Neil Young amongst others. I think the best arrangement for them, though, is Jones on guitar, Dobson on drums and Cat Popper at her natural position killing it on the bass. The best moments were when they were in those slots, including the awesome version of “Down By the River,” with Norah Jones doing her kind of ramshackle Crazy Horse impression on lead guitar. Sometimes you see a band play and you know that they all get along and man, wouldn’t it be fun to party with those guys. I don’t think I’ve felt that as much as I did last night, their banter and fun had me smiling and laughing, the music almost felt secondary. Also, I know I am not alone in thinking this, but I could listen to Norah sing almost anything for days… man, what a voice. Three great voices in that band, work together with such ease. They’re kind of like an anti-Valentine’s Day kind of band, for some reason, but they were all dressed for the occasion, red and pink, with red heart balloons aloft above the stage and mostly a deep pink-red lighting all night. Somewhat surprisingly, they played two sets and, as it goes, the second set was both looser and tighter, they saved the goods for the second go-around. It was a sold out show, but there was actually a lot of room in there, not sure why, seems like a good number of ticketholders didn’t show for some reason? Maybe their V-Day dates broke up with them between when they got the tickets and the show? Regardless, they missed a super fun night.
15Feb20
Freaks Ball XX @ Bell House
A perfect night. Can’t say much more than that.
Beforehand I caught Seth Kessell @ Skinny Dennis: A cold beer, a ridiculous crowd and some great music are just what my early-evening called for. He and his trio were kind of low-key awesome. Perfect rockabilly/country vibe, he’s got the slicked-back-hair-and-plain-white-t-shirt look down perfectly and ripped a few really awesome twang-heavy guitar solos. Highly recommend you check him and Skinny Dennis out sometime. Always a good time.
