Grant Lee Phillips/Nellie McKay; December 5, 2009; Schuba’s

Not wanting to overstay my welcome in New York, I flew back on Saturday, which turned out to be a very good decision. I knew about this show, but I hadn’t really been thinking about going to it until I fell completely under the spell of Little Moon. With his most recent release, Grant Lee Phillips seems to be occupying that same rare place as M. Ward. They both sound as if they are somehow a voice from the past and timeless at the same moment. It’s the kind of music that defies description, and it is absolutely enchanting.

I’d seen Grant Lee Buffalo a couple of times, but I’d only seen Phillips solo once in the decade since the band broke up, on a co-bill with John Doe and Kristin Hersch. As far as I can recall, he’s never even been to Madison. I do know he stole every show. His manic stage presence and eccentric behavior make him quite memorable. In this case, the equally odd Nellie McKay made for a good tour partner. Dressed in flowing pink chiffon, she was equal parts naïveté and obliviousness. Her shy little voice bubbled with curiosity and incredulity. The couple next to me was big fans, and was there solely to see her; I don’t think they had any idea who Phillips even was. After he introduced her, Phillips stayed onstage for a song to test all the equipment. They did a gorgeous version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” which resurrected the song after I thought I had lost it forever to a particularly cloying and over-earnest folk duo. The rest of her short set containing selections from her new record Normal as Blueberry Pie, A Salute to Doris Day was equally charming; though I am pretty sure I don’t need the CD.

They didn’t take much of a break before Phillips took the stage again. A good move since this was an early show at Schubas and they had started late. I expected him to be good, but not this good. It was similar to seeing Joe Pernice earlier this year when I was almost afraid to breathe in fear of ruining a perfect moment. The title track was particularly gorgeous and the ridiculously catchy “It Ain’t the Same Old Cold War Harry” begged a sing-a-long (tho’ no one did). In addition to playing a good chunk of the new record he delved back into past catalog. His solo releases have been somewhat hit or miss. Mobilize didn’t leave my CD player for months, while Strangelet only got a few spins before being dismissed. Luckily he said he had been reworking the songs from Mobilize to work in a solo acoustic situation and played several of them.

When he asked for requests most of the crowd shouted out songs from his career in the Buffalo. “Mighty Joe Moon” and “Mockingbirds” were met with enthusiastic applause. His perfect falsetto hasn’t lost a note in a decade. McKay rejoined him to finish the night by adding backing vocals on “The Sun Shines on Jupiter.” She had the lyrics written out on a sheet of paper, but even so didn’t seem to know exactly what she was doing. Still she gave it her best with a grin and a giggle and got by on her charm. I left reveling in the fact that I had seen so much amazing music in the last three days.

Nellie McKay



Grant Lee Phillips

The Wrens, with 12:01 (Thursday), Palomar (early show Friday), The Bob Fields (late show); December 3 and 4, 2009; Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ

The Wrens haven’t released an album since 2003’s The Meadowlands, but that hasn’t affected their popularity a bit. In fact, it may have even enhanced it, making them a legend as much as a band. The two shows originally announced at Maxwell’s in their home state of New Jersey sold out months in advance. Friday’s early show added later sold out before I even knew it existed. The good thing about being the most-seen face at Wrens shows is that they weren’t going to let me be left outside. They all shook their heads in amazement a few weeks before when I told them I was planning on going to all three, but I’m pretty sure they would have been more surprised had I not.

The simple fact is that they are hands down the best live band on the planet. Only on occasion do the second, third or fourth bands on that list (Drive-By Truckers, Hold Steady and Calexico) even come close to reaching their dizzying heights. I’m often asked to explain exactly what is so amazing, but I always fail to put it into words. The songs are great of course, but honestly, of all their records (you know, all three of them) I only listen to the Meadowlands with any sort of regularity. The key seems to be the megawatt energy on stage. It crackles between the band and the audience, but it’s even stronger between the four of them. I guess that’s what happens when you are a band for twenty years and live in the same house for the bulk of those two decades. That still indescribable entity is what keeps me buying plane tickets, and keeps me in awe at every show.

At some point in each show Kevin gave a heartfelt plea to everyone in the audience to start a band with their best friends, because “it’s the most amazing thing you can possibly do.” It’s a nice thought, but I am pretty sure I wouldn’t want to hear anything a band I cofounded released, no matter how many years we were together. No one I know could conceive of a record as complete as the Meadowlands, write a song as gorgeous as “She Sends Kisses,” or play a show as electrifyingly mind-blowing. Nope, I’d rather they do it since I much prefer to be on the other side of the stage.

The concept was this- in honor of their twenty years together they would play three shows. The first would be a fan-request night, the second their last release in its entirety, the third new material, though there ended up being a lot of overlap. More than anything I wanted to hear “Ex-Girl Collection,” a song that had only been played live once and would by necessity have to be part of at least one show. Based on voting, it should have been part of that first night. It wasn’t. I was disappointed but that made it mean even more the next night, enhanced by the fact that I was standing right next to Okkervil River’s Will Sheff who sang every word. Sheff had covered it for a split single with Charles who in turn covered Okkervil’s “It Ends with a Fall.” I know there must be a reason why Charles never wants to play it, but I can’t possibly imagine what it would be since it was probably the highlight of all three shows.

In fact “Ex-girl” along with “Thirteen Months in Six Minutes” (never played live) may have been the reason that tickets for that show were impossible to come by. When it came time to practice that song, it was decided they needed another voice to pull it off. Charles called Beth Warwerna of Bird of Youth who jumped at the chance. She confessed to being nervous, but I told her that since they’d never played it live there wasn’t anything she could do to mess it up. She nailed it, her purring growl the perfect compliment. Warwerna was only one of many guests over the trio of shows. A couple of kids with a trombone and a baritone sax livened up a few tunes each night, for the first time ever the Wrens had a horn section. An extra guitar made “Ex-Girl Collection” possible, and their old friend, the fantastic Lysa who I’d just met earlier, joined them on keyboard.

Secaucus’s “I’ve Made Enough Friends,” apparently the most requested Wrens’ song ever, made two appearances, while “Kisses” made two (or was it three?). The most memorable of those was as the final song of the last show as they invited everyone to join them on stage. I figured there were already plenty of people on stage, but when Jerry purposefully took my hand, even after I shook my head no, and pulled me up I conceded without a fuss. It was a pretty special moment as everyone in the whole bar was singing the words (correctly or not) at the top of their lungs. I didn’t want it to be over it was so perfect.

Everything had been pretty much flawless. The only complaint I’ve ever had about Wrens’ shows has been the opening bands. My secret theory is that once they announce a show they give the opening slot to the first band to e-mail them and ask for it. This time they were a little pickier. Having been around as long as they have, they’ve made a lot of friends. The goal was to ask some of their oldest friends to play these shows. 12:01, the opener the first night, was a solid rock band. Remarkable because they didn’t suck, I was pretty happy with them. For the early show the next night Palomar was chosen. Not only do they go way back with the Wrens, but Charles is married to their lead singer. I’d seen them once years ago and thought they weren’t bad considering it was a bunch of girls. I meant to see their set tonight but instead spent too long at Kevin’s birthday party at the front of the bar. The baby of the band, he had turned 40 the day before.

The last band hadn’t actually even been a band for seven years, which figures since they were my favorite of the bunch. The Bob Fields had two releases back in the day and they promised to see if they could dig some up for me. The fact that they were willing to reform and out together such a remarkable set probably says more about how special the Wrens are than any of my effusive praise. I miss them already.

The Wrens early show











Late show
The Bob Fields



The Wrens

The Wrens/12:01; December 3, 2009; Maxwells, Hoboken

The Tim Burton Exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, that alone is worth a trip to New York

Christmas decorations downtown Manhattan



12:01





The Wrens

United Sons of Toil/Dick the Bruiser (opening for Melt Banana); December 2, 2009; High Noon Saloon
Dick the Bruiser



The United Sons of Toil