The Low Czars; January 21, 2009; The High Noon Saloon

Leave it to the Low Czars to attribute their looming name change to a cease and desist order from the Russian government. It seemed ridiculous, but leader Aaron Scholz’s e-mail claiming that the letter from the descendants of Czar Nicholas Romanov of Russia had ordered them to change their name because it was 'unholy and nearly criminal...to suggest that Czars are lowly,' was well written enough to seem plausible. I mean if the country group Alabama can force the UK’s Alabama 3 go by A3 stateside (like there is any danger of people confusing the two), then I guess anything is possible. It turns out they had other reasons for wanting to change their name, but in the meantime they gave us all a scare by claiming it was the “last Low Czars show ever.” I guess we all missed the *under the current name.

During their far too short set (they only played an hour which apparently wasn’t enough time for any Big Star songs), they mentioned the name change when bassist James Leaver jokingly started calling them the New Admin, admitting that it was actually better than any of the other names they had come up with so far. After the set I asked the nothing-but-trouble Leaver why he doesn’t sing the Elvis Costello song “Radio, Radio” that they cover since he sounds uncannily like him. He confessed that Bruce Thomas (the Attractions bass player) is such an animal that there was no way he could play the bass part and sing. Not to say that Scholz, didn’t do a good job with it, it’s just that his voice is more perfectly suited to the Kinks and Who covers they do. In fact the former’s “Victoria” was one of my favorite songs of the night.

I’m sad to say goodbye to the Low Czars, but I am sure I will warm up to the Towne Squares soon enough (though currently I think the new name is a bit too clever). And I am pretty sure that under any name they will still sound just as awesome.