Like a large man nicknamed Tiny or a Chihuahua named Killer, the Tallest Man on Earth was anything but. In fact, Kristian Mattson of Dalarna Sweden probably comes in well under the national average for musicians, which is even shorter than that of non-musicians (based on my own years of research). Still, he managed to make a big impression on the crowd when he opened for Bon Iver at the Barrymore earlier this year. My only concrete evidence of that is the unusually large number of people who showed up for this Tuesday happy hour show.
Despite the fact that it was just him and a guitar, he wove a spell of words and intricate finger picking that kept the crowd interested. He didn’t talk much, preferring to move deliberately from one song to the next. During the instrumental breaks he would stride back and forth across the stage surveying the scene with knowing looks. I liked it enough to pick up his most recent full length CD Shallow Grave on the way out the door. While I didn’t fall madly in love with him or his music right then, I had the feeling that maybe with repeated listens, I would, but that remains to be seen.
It would seem he is paying forward Bon Iver’s favor. Openers Red Cortez made quite an impression, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they drew a decent crowd on their own the next time through. They had just finished opening all twelve dates of Morrisey’s US tour when I saw them at SXSW. I might not have even seen them if Ian Moore’s bass player Matt Harris hadn’t told me they were worth sticking around for following Ian and Harris’s band Oranger split set at the Habana Bar Calle 6. Following this tour they are going out with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, a band that should introduce them to yet another audience.
The band, who used to be known as Weather Underground, is selling a CD at shows which combines output from both bands. It comes in a simple cardboard folder, but they have the sound of a band much more polished. Their energetic pop songs seem tailor made for radio stations like Madison’s Triple M, and I had to wonder if I would have been as impressed if I had heard them there first. The voice of the band is baby-faced Harley Prechtel-Cortez . The only difference between the two bands is the guitar player, but it is hard to imagine the band without current guitarist Calvin J Love. The lanky handsome musician is a good part of their charm. If popularity does find the LA band, they will certainly deserve it.
Red Cortez
Tallest Man on Earth
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