Finkel had told me earlier that he wasn’t going to take any
money for playing tonight. Dondero was
the touring musician, he protested, he needs the money. Of course, he thought, like I did, that it
would be a sparse crowd. Later when I
asked if he was sure he didn’t want his ten percent, he took it reluctantly,
only to spend it all on Dondero’s records.
Finkel sold a few of his own discs too.
Much of his set came from his brand new EP that he claimed is even
better than the full length released earlier this year. It had been several years since the release
of Simple Life, so it is exciting to see him so productive again. And these are some really good songs. I’ve followed Finkel over much of his
songwriting career, having reviewed his first CD for Rick’s Café many years
ago, and it’s been fun watching his talent mature. The songs from the EP haven’t sunk in yet,
but Can’t Be Found be found certainly has some that have stuck with me. One of those is “Benjamin,” which he
introduced as being about The Graduate.
With lines like “Benjamin, you are breaking up the family,” I can’t
believe I didn’t figure it out on my own.
Marty apologized after the show that my favorite track “Still Afraid to
Die” hadn’t made the set list, but he claimed it was difficult to play without
the band (actually I think he said it “sounds like crap”), but it was such a
great set I didn’t even miss it.
It’s easy to see why Oberst signed Dondero, they share the
ability to write a smart and catchy song, as well as the occasional vocal
similarity. In person, he’s charmingly
awkward, telling us a little more than we needed to know about how the hotel
breakfast had disagreed with him and seeming surprised when we wanted him to
play longer than 45 minutes. One of the
highlights of the show was the honest and engaging “This Guitar.” The title track to his most recent vinyl
release (the download is available from Bandcamp, there is no CD version) is a
cousin to the Magnetic Field’s “Acoustic Guitar,” addressing the instrument as
if it were not only animate, but also sentient, blaming it for failed
marriages, as well as drug and alcohol problems. An even more direct attack on the addictive
nature of alcohol is titled simply “Alcohol.”
You get the feeling that Dondero used to really like to drink, but
decided he’s one of those people who probably shouldn’t. You can tell he misses it. Like Oberst, he owes a debt to Bob
Dylan. The hilarious “South of the
South” draws a direct line back to Dylan’s “Talking Blues” songs (which he in
turn swiped from Woody Guthrie); the play-by-play of getting pulled over
somewhere south of the south is worth the price of the vinyl, and maybe even of
getting a turntable. Live he expounded
on the story even more, for great comic effect.
He finished the night with a request, “The New Berlin Wall,” a social
commentary equating building a wall between the US and Mexico to the one that
divided a city.
Thanks to all the folks who surprised me on a Tuesday
night. And a big thanks to Finkel and
especially Dondero for such a great show, please come back anytime.
Marty Finkel
David Dondero
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