Much is made of how different Bondy’s current music is from his output with his former band the blues-y rockers Verbena. I knew them in name only and I only became aware of his quiet, sad-eyed debut American Hearts months after all the hipsters were on to it. They were definitely out in full force tonight, and the High Noon was comfortably crowded for a Monday night. “Where are all the people we know?” the one person I knew in the crowd asked me, “this guy must be on their radar, isn’t he?” Truth is, I didn’t know, since I’m the one who’s a sucker for the singer-songwriter types. Just as I had marveled at the Pines show on Friday, sometimes mellow music is amazing, and sometimes it is just sleepy.
Since last time he has tempered his oddly angular face with a mustache and thin soul patch, and his music seemed to have mellowed as well. Bondy’s set was even quieter this time around, but certainly not boring. Everything had slowed; even the relatively upbeat “Vice Rag” had become dirge-y, yet still hypnotic. There isn’t anything remarkable about his voice, yet it has a strange sort of power, pulling you in, tugging at your emotions. He gave his talented band a break to play a couple songs solo. The second of those, standard “My Funny Valentine,” was haunted and the longing nearly palpable. His backing band consisted of only two guys, but both pulled double duty. The drummer occasionally would switch seats to a pedal steel, and the bass player also played keyboards.
Most of the show was stellar but they did lose me occasionally. At times it got a little jammy as they concentrated more on making noise than on making music. I found it a little strange when Bondy, who had seemed a little out of it most of the night, excused himself to go refill his whiskey glass in the green room. Aren’t there people for that? Still, these are minor complaints and I had a smile on my face for his entire set. I was happy to stop at the merch stand on my way out to pick up the new CD and an awesome horse skeleton T-shirt.
Whereas Bondy had many things going for him, his voice, smart songs and engaging melodies, opener Willy Mason has only his voice. It’s a remarkable voice to be sure, a less bass Dave Alvin comes to mind, and I was awed by it when he first opened his mouth. But it wasn’t long before I realized that he wasn’t actually saying anything. In fact I was pretty sure he was making songs up on the spot, “Choppin’ Broccoli” I like to call that. Of course the reality is that couldn’t be true since a few fans were calling for them by name. His set was short enough, and the most memorable part was when Bondy and band joined him for his last song. Obviously, it was Bondy who left the lasting impression.
Willy Mason
AA Bondy
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