It’s a good night when two of my favorite local singer/songwriters who play solo the majority of the time bring their bands for a show. It’s even better when the third band on the bill is a charming group of youngsters from Milwaukee whose youth and enthusiasm make them impossible to resist. Too bad I hadn’t been home after work and had to catch the last bus of the night and miss the end of the latter’s set. But after such a good night of music, beginning with the Low Czars happy hour show, it’s really hard to complain too much about anything.
I was surprised again tonight how much I enjoy seeing Josh with this particular band. I’ve seen him with bands before and usually end up thinking I prefer the solo show for his fantastic acoustic guitar playing. Blake Thomas and Chris Sasman have always been a solid rhythm section for the Tawnies when they would do the occasional original, so the key difference has to be Jeremiah Nelson on lead guitar. Despite having seen him play many, many times, I honestly had no idea he could do that. My cousin calls him “sneaky,” he might have been drunk when he said it, but it may be exactly the right adjective. All I know is that it has breathed new life into some songs which have been noticeably reworked. “What About You” from Josh’s first record Three Day Notice has never sounded better, its haunted undertones playing out in Jeremiah’s ethereal guitar. As with the “Superband” shows, it’s obvious that they are all having a blast; and that just might be the best part.
After Marty’s CD release show he asked me if I thought his band would be too loud in comparison to Josh’s. I laughed and told him it wouldn’t be a problem, but the pairing was perhaps even better than I would have thought. While Josh’s not-so-secret weapon would seem to be Jeremiah, Marty’s ace up his sleeve for his opening set was undoubtedly his percussionist. His assortment of shakers and noisemakers turns Marty’s smartly earnest songs into something more intriguing. Or hell, maybe I’m just a sucker for that toy piano. I don’t think I’m the only one, I’m pretty sure I heard someone yelling for more after he put it away. While the set list was far short of the thirty plus the band played for the CD release show, it was long enough to make fans out of the folks who hadn’t seen him and his delightful band before.
Third on the (fill-in-the-songwriter) Band bill was the Trapper Schoepp band from Milwaukee who caught my attention for the first time back in October on a bill with Blake Thomas’s dream band. Their fervor and joyous noise was certainly more interesting than Chris Koza who followed them. Their vision of what Bowie would sound like if he grew up in Pewaukee instead of the UK was all the more interesting for the game of musical instruments they played through out the set. Trapper was the only one who stayed put as the rest of the band changed places around him. I was drunkily enjoying their set when I had to leave to catch the bus. Usually Milwaukee bands don’t play Madison very often, but this one definitely seems determined to make that trip. I’m sure I’ll be seeing those big smiles again soon.
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