As much as I wanted to see the Wrens at the Black Cat, I knew that I would have to give it up if the weather was the least bit threatening. After all, I did have a house concert to get back for, and I am pretty sure it is poor form to miss your own house concert. Luckily the weather was beautiful here and especially there, and I made it back no problem. Even if he was playing somewhere else, Anders Parker is a show I wouldn’t want to miss. This was his third time playing at the house, and every time he is amazing. On previous visits he switched between electric and acoustic guitar, but tonight he just had an acoustic with him. It’s a bit if a shame, since he is one of only a few people who do the solo electric guitar thing well. I believe the secret is that he plays it like an acoustic. I thought about the missing electric once at the beginning of the set and not again, because as it turns out he really only needs one guitar.
That is because he does so much with it. He records loop after loop and piles them on top of each other, creating more sound than you would expect from one person. It isn’t just guitar samples either, sometimes it’s percussion created by banging on the guitar’s hollow body, sometimes it’s a snatch of vocal. I’m sure it isn’t easy but he certainly makes it look that way. His newest release Skyscraper Crow is a two record set. The former is the catchier of the two discs featuring a fuller electric sound and the occasional drum machine. Crow is solo acoustic, sparer and more haunting than its brother. Only a few of the songs really jumped out at me on the first several listens, but live they are just as engaging as his older material. I actually couldn’t even pick them out, they seemed so familiar. “Calling Out to You” was especially good, while “Up on the Sun” from Tell It to the Dust was the standout older song, and possibly the best example of his looping skills. It was also probably the most rocking.
I’d like to think that I do a fairly good job matching openers to the main acts, but when the opener I thought I had fell through, I was completely at a loss. It seemed every local band that would be a reasonably good match was already playing either Friday or Saturday night. I even asked a few that were a stretch. Then it hit me, the answer had been right there the whole time. The show had been listed as TBA for so long it was obvious they were the perfect opener. It took some work, but luckily they were willing to make it happen. Drummer Chris Sasman already had a gig that night but it was nearby, and wasn’t supposed to start till 10. He set up one kit at the Lazy Oaf and a second at my house. They hadn’t played together since September, but decided that “practice is for suckas.”
Given how good they sounded I definitely concur. They may argue, but from the audience side I didn’t notice any missteps. Luke Bassuener is a charming and magnetic frontman who never stops smiling the entire set. Guitarist Johnny Maloney can’t help but divide your attention with his manic energy and simple joy of playing. Their secret weapon is Sasman, a simultaneously precise and inventive drummer. I can’t thank them enough for playing. During his set Anders commented that it wasn’t fair that he kept having to play after bands, because “there’s so many of you and you can make so much noise.” I wouldn’t normally do it, but I though he could handle it. He did.
This Bright Apocalypse
Anders Parker
No comments:
Post a Comment