I think that the song "All This Time" was an eMusic Daily Download once, and it was one of those songs that had me hooked from the first couple of lines. I couldn't stop listening to it. It reminded me of all the good parts of female classic/psychedelic rock vocalists - a little Janis, and little Nico, a little Grace Slick. Not really in line with most of what I've been listening to these days, but intoxicating nonetheless.
So, based on that song only, I automatically got excited when I heard they were playing down the street at Martyrs'. I like that place. It's smallish - I never feel too crowded, and.... there's a pinball machine! That's where you can find me if the opening band sucks. Especially if I'm there alone. But neither if the two were true last Saturday. I was there with a couple of friends, and the opener was one of those flannel clad bands of young men from Brooklyn, The Subjects.
It was pretty late when little Erika Wennerstrom and her band took the stage - and the crowd was pretty liquored up. It was an interesting crowd too - a little like I might find in one of my hometown Galena bars... varying ages all sort of drinking and grooving in their own way. Wennerstrom definitely drives the band. We couldn't see her guitar playing from where we were, but her voice is huge. They played a lot of songs from the last two albums, "Stairs and Elevators" and "All this Time" as well as some from the new album "The Mountain," which, recorded with a new band,took a little bit of a jam-band turn (in the cover art as well) which I'm not sure if I like as much.
So many "indie" female vocalists these days are sort of annoying me with their soft pretty little voices. So it was nice to hear someone really belt it out - and all the more amazing since Wennerstrom is such a petite woman. I do worry that her days might be numbered though - I see vocal polyps in her future. There wasn't enough banter - I would have liked a little more chatter, especially in such a small space. And they never played "All this Time." All in all - I don't know that I would go out of my way to see them again, but it was definitely a good show, good music, and a good place to be a little warm whiskey haze in this coldest of winters.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Nobo vs. the Dudes - The Hold Steady w/ Tom Morello @ HOB - 15 Jan 2009
So, my first show of 2009, and I found myself one of about 100 women in the entire sold out House of Blues. Showing up fashionably late with a friend, I thought I might have missed a good chunk of The Nightwatchman's set. But, in true rock and roll style, it had started quite late, and by leading with our breasts we were able to push through the crowd of testosterone to secure a nice vantage point along the railing, stage right.
Not knowing much of Morello's music, I was a little lost, but it was still a great set, all of his self-comparisons to Barak Obama aside. He played acoustic and electric. He played guitar with his teeth. He covered AC/DC and he covered Woody Guthrie, and had everyone singing along to This Land is Your Land.
The Hold Steady. Now that was a wild ride. Akin to the mountain goats in the telling of tales of drug and alcohol soaked nights, their songs are never about people with whom I can really identify. On of the things that sets Craig Finn apart from, say, John Darnielle, is that somehow you believe that his characters might actually survive. There's a little more hope in his stories. That said though, a lot the Hold Steady's songs sound a lot like one another, and it's sometimes hard for me to tell one from the other. It was a top-notch live show though, and I enjoyed raising my fist and wailing along with their stadium-rock choruses as much as the next guy. And the next guy, and the next. And those few ladies, who were mostly leaning against dudes looking bored.
I have a theory about why The Hold Steady is a man's band. I think women tend to like men with beautiful voices. How many women do you see swooning over Tom Waits? Finn's vocals are very conversational - staying a short range with not a lot of variation in melody.
So, I'm back to blogging? Perhaps. Time to go to work now, but maybe this weekend, I can write chapter two of January, which ended with Heartless Bastards. I've got at least five more shows lined up in the next couple of months - so, the momentum should keep me going.
Not knowing much of Morello's music, I was a little lost, but it was still a great set, all of his self-comparisons to Barak Obama aside. He played acoustic and electric. He played guitar with his teeth. He covered AC/DC and he covered Woody Guthrie, and had everyone singing along to This Land is Your Land.
The Hold Steady. Now that was a wild ride. Akin to the mountain goats in the telling of tales of drug and alcohol soaked nights, their songs are never about people with whom I can really identify. On of the things that sets Craig Finn apart from, say, John Darnielle, is that somehow you believe that his characters might actually survive. There's a little more hope in his stories. That said though, a lot the Hold Steady's songs sound a lot like one another, and it's sometimes hard for me to tell one from the other. It was a top-notch live show though, and I enjoyed raising my fist and wailing along with their stadium-rock choruses as much as the next guy. And the next guy, and the next. And those few ladies, who were mostly leaning against dudes looking bored.
I have a theory about why The Hold Steady is a man's band. I think women tend to like men with beautiful voices. How many women do you see swooning over Tom Waits? Finn's vocals are very conversational - staying a short range with not a lot of variation in melody.
So, I'm back to blogging? Perhaps. Time to go to work now, but maybe this weekend, I can write chapter two of January, which ended with Heartless Bastards. I've got at least five more shows lined up in the next couple of months - so, the momentum should keep me going.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)