Control
Stinking Lizaveta
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The Dirty Shirts; May 18, 2010; High Noon Saloon
Once a month for several years the Dirty Shirts have been anchoring the High Noon’s Tuesday pre-Gomeroke happy hour schedule, almost to the point that people are starting to take them for granted. Their usual first Tuesday show for May had consisted of a pretty sparse crowd, fewer folks even than had come out back in December on the night of the blizzard that shut the city down. Thankfully for their first ever CD release show a good crowd turned out, there were even a few people who admitted they’d never seen the Dirty Shirts before.
Joining the band for the occasion were a couple of special guests. Johnson & Clark, the alter egos of the Cork & Bottle String Band’s Greg Dierks and another familiar face whose name I don’t know turned up to use the Shirts as the backing band for a pair of songs. The first “Step Out of the Car, Ma’am” is a favorite of the happy hour band, always covered well by impossibly tall upright bass player Pat Logterman. Amusingly, Johnson & Clark weren’t quite as practiced, laughing their way through a couple of flubs. The second was from their new release California Country, also available tonight. The band’s lead singer Jeff Burkhart didn’t seem to believe Dierks when he said the name of the song was “Domo Arigato,” asking him to repeat it several times. Sounding nothing like the Styx song that popularized the phrase, their “Japanese for thank you” song tore it up with the help of the band. The other guest tonight was fiddler Brian O’Donnell who sat in with the band for most of the evening. Introducing one of the songs as “one that Brian played on for the record,” Burkhart laughed before continuing, “that means he’s actually played this one before.”
The new record Two Dollar Turpentine is a collection of originals from a band that is probably better known as a classic country cover band. It’s impressive that the songs they wrote are so steeped in that sound I didn’t realize that many of the tunes I’ve heard them do are originals. Apparently, Burkhart has an old country soul and the pure and honest voice to go with it. He’s well served by the other members of his excellent band, many of whom are familiar Madison musicians. Drummer Colin Bazsali and guest O’Donnell are both in the Cajun Strangers and also play with Burkhart in the Barley Brothers. Logterman and lap steel player Kurt Kellesvig are members of the Cork & Bottle String Band. The latter’s skill on the steel gives their sound much of its authenticity, while lead guitar player Ted Weigl is quietly impressive.
Hopefully they made a few new fans tonight in addition to selling a few CDs.
Once a month for several years the Dirty Shirts have been anchoring the High Noon’s Tuesday pre-Gomeroke happy hour schedule, almost to the point that people are starting to take them for granted. Their usual first Tuesday show for May had consisted of a pretty sparse crowd, fewer folks even than had come out back in December on the night of the blizzard that shut the city down. Thankfully for their first ever CD release show a good crowd turned out, there were even a few people who admitted they’d never seen the Dirty Shirts before.
Joining the band for the occasion were a couple of special guests. Johnson & Clark, the alter egos of the Cork & Bottle String Band’s Greg Dierks and another familiar face whose name I don’t know turned up to use the Shirts as the backing band for a pair of songs. The first “Step Out of the Car, Ma’am” is a favorite of the happy hour band, always covered well by impossibly tall upright bass player Pat Logterman. Amusingly, Johnson & Clark weren’t quite as practiced, laughing their way through a couple of flubs. The second was from their new release California Country, also available tonight. The band’s lead singer Jeff Burkhart didn’t seem to believe Dierks when he said the name of the song was “Domo Arigato,” asking him to repeat it several times. Sounding nothing like the Styx song that popularized the phrase, their “Japanese for thank you” song tore it up with the help of the band. The other guest tonight was fiddler Brian O’Donnell who sat in with the band for most of the evening. Introducing one of the songs as “one that Brian played on for the record,” Burkhart laughed before continuing, “that means he’s actually played this one before.”
The new record Two Dollar Turpentine is a collection of originals from a band that is probably better known as a classic country cover band. It’s impressive that the songs they wrote are so steeped in that sound I didn’t realize that many of the tunes I’ve heard them do are originals. Apparently, Burkhart has an old country soul and the pure and honest voice to go with it. He’s well served by the other members of his excellent band, many of whom are familiar Madison musicians. Drummer Colin Bazsali and guest O’Donnell are both in the Cajun Strangers and also play with Burkhart in the Barley Brothers. Logterman and lap steel player Kurt Kellesvig are members of the Cork & Bottle String Band. The latter’s skill on the steel gives their sound much of its authenticity, while lead guitar player Ted Weigl is quietly impressive.
Hopefully they made a few new fans tonight in addition to selling a few CDs.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players; May 16, 2010; High Noon Saloon
Despite the fact that I don’t have kids of my own, I’m probably the Not Ready for Naptime Players most loyal Madison fan. I would feel a little weird about showing up sans kids for a children’s show if I didn’t know the band, but the truth is that Justin Roberts knows his way around a power pop tune. If it weren’t for the fact that the lyrics are about a girl who won’t comb her hair, being a crossing guard or that favorite childhood pastime of blaming stuff on your brother, you wouldn’t even know it was geared toward the toddler set.
This was my third afternoon with the trio and it may have been my favorite show yet. It could be because this time they had moved from the cavernous Majestic Theater to the more welcoming High Noon. Or it could simply be because I am starting to learn the songs (“My Brother Did It” may be my favorite, though I’m a sucker for the Modern English reference in “Meltdown,” “I’ll stop the world and meltdown with you.”). Rather than sit in the back playing impartial observers, we chose to sit a little closer this time, at the end of the bar nearest the stage. We also willingly participated in all the instructed actions that accompanied the songs, doing at least as well as the youngsters near us (perhaps due to a longer attention span). We’d learned our lesson after being chastised last time by drummer Gerald Dowd for not joining in, especially offensive after we’d gotten in on the guest list.
Not having any responsibilities running around the bar afforded me the luxury of being able to observe the rest of the audience. There’s the adventurous handful of kids who stand right in front of the stage, participating without hesitation, yelling the answers to Roberts’ questions and even making requests when prompted. There’s the group that starts timid, but gradually works up the nerve to move closer in the course of the hour set. Then there’s the faction that does their own thing for the whole show, sometimes choosing to participate, other times just being themselves. The key to keeping all the types entertained seems to be that Roberts and band interact with them so well. He never talks down to them or uses baby talk, and frankly Liam Davis’s gruff but lovable Willy the Whale character actually seems geared to the grown-ups, a sort of G-rated Goodfella.
I’m already looking forward to the next show.
Despite the fact that I don’t have kids of my own, I’m probably the Not Ready for Naptime Players most loyal Madison fan. I would feel a little weird about showing up sans kids for a children’s show if I didn’t know the band, but the truth is that Justin Roberts knows his way around a power pop tune. If it weren’t for the fact that the lyrics are about a girl who won’t comb her hair, being a crossing guard or that favorite childhood pastime of blaming stuff on your brother, you wouldn’t even know it was geared toward the toddler set.
This was my third afternoon with the trio and it may have been my favorite show yet. It could be because this time they had moved from the cavernous Majestic Theater to the more welcoming High Noon. Or it could simply be because I am starting to learn the songs (“My Brother Did It” may be my favorite, though I’m a sucker for the Modern English reference in “Meltdown,” “I’ll stop the world and meltdown with you.”). Rather than sit in the back playing impartial observers, we chose to sit a little closer this time, at the end of the bar nearest the stage. We also willingly participated in all the instructed actions that accompanied the songs, doing at least as well as the youngsters near us (perhaps due to a longer attention span). We’d learned our lesson after being chastised last time by drummer Gerald Dowd for not joining in, especially offensive after we’d gotten in on the guest list.
Not having any responsibilities running around the bar afforded me the luxury of being able to observe the rest of the audience. There’s the adventurous handful of kids who stand right in front of the stage, participating without hesitation, yelling the answers to Roberts’ questions and even making requests when prompted. There’s the group that starts timid, but gradually works up the nerve to move closer in the course of the hour set. Then there’s the faction that does their own thing for the whole show, sometimes choosing to participate, other times just being themselves. The key to keeping all the types entertained seems to be that Roberts and band interact with them so well. He never talks down to them or uses baby talk, and frankly Liam Davis’s gruff but lovable Willy the Whale character actually seems geared to the grown-ups, a sort of G-rated Goodfella.
I’m already looking forward to the next show.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Pines/Ben Weaver; May 15, 2010; Kiki’s House of Righteous Music
Sometimes it is hard to tell if Ben Weaver is having any fun. For instance I wasn’t sure he actually enjoyed his first visit to the House of Righteous Music until he started talking about all of his friends who he thought should play here. At the top of that list was the Pines, the singer songwriter duo of David Huckfelt and Benson Ramsey. The latter is the son of Greg Brown’s producer and sideman Bo Ramsey, and while he shares his father’s graceful, understated guitar skill he isn’t content to let his guitar do all the talking. Huckfelt’s and Ramsey’s voices work well together, similar enough to blend but still distinct. I was charmed by their duo appearance at the Carpe and immediately questioned them about available dates to play at the house. I wasn’t sure who else they would have with them after playing the Old Town School of Folk in Chicago the night before, but I was delighted that it turned out to be JT Bates, one of the Twin Cities most versatile drummers who has played with everyone from hip hop’s Eyedea & Abilities to folkie mainstay John Gorka.
Weaver had been right of course about how perfect they were for the room. Bates’ understated drumming emphasizing the pair’s gorgeous vocals. Their set contained some of their songs from their two previous releases, but leaned heaviest on 2009’s excellent release Tremolo. The record features two well-chosen covers. The first is from Spider John Koerner, an early influence on Dylan, and the second from legendary bluesman Mississippi John Hurt. The former’s “Skipper and his Wife” features a rambling tune arranged by the Pines, cheerful despite the fact that every verse ends with someone crying “All I had in this world done gone.” Hurt’s “Spike Driver Blues,” the story of John Henry, becomes even more haunting with Ramsey’s electric guitar moaning under David Huckfelt’s nimbly picked acoustic melody.
The record’s opening track “Pray Tell” has Huckfelt asking difficult (and I’m hoping rhetorical) questions like “who hung the moon so low in the sky?” and “who opens up the door between heaven and hell?” The same electric/acoustic pairing so dramatic on “Spike Driver” also percolates here, giving an urgency to the anxious but unhurried blues. Ramsey takes the lead vocals on what may be my favorite track, the shuffling love song “Heart and Bones” which features a pair of acoustic guitars and six simple lines separated by the refrain “heart and bones.” It’s stunning and surprisingly powerful. With how well their guitars duet, I would have expected their voices to do the same. Instead, they each take their turn on lead, limiting backing vocals to a few lines, even more effective for their infrequency. With the exception of “Shiny Shoes,” most of their songs don’t follow the traditional folk verse-chorus-verse format, though it sounds like they do with the use of repeated musical patterns. Admittedly, with a line as good as “But no matter how hard you try, no, you can't put the tears back in your eyes,” you need to use it more than once.
After booking the show I e-mailed Weaver to thank him for the recommendation. Within a few days he asked if it would be OK if came down and played that night too. I was delighted, I became a fan of Weaver’s music after listening (repeatedly) to his 2008 Bloodshot debut (his fifth release overall) The Ax in the Oak. Weaver’s music is the type that requires the audience’s attention. His clever non-rhymes work best in listening rooms where audiences can appreciate them, and my favorite shows of his have been in the basement and at the Frequency with similarly quiet singer/songwriter Denison Witmer. Thanks to the Pines, a bigger crowd was gathered to hear him tonight than the last time he played at the house. Unfortunately he doesn’t really like to play the more rocking songs from Oak like “White Snow” solo, but the new material recorded for his Bloodshot follow-up to be released this fall is quite intriguing. Once you hear some of his quirky poems, it makes sense when he says that it has always been about the words for him- he certainly has a way with them. It is somewhat ironic that at both of his SXSW appearances, he didn’t make it past the first verse of “Anything with Words.” Luckily, he got it back tonight.
Ben Weaver
The Pines
Sometimes it is hard to tell if Ben Weaver is having any fun. For instance I wasn’t sure he actually enjoyed his first visit to the House of Righteous Music until he started talking about all of his friends who he thought should play here. At the top of that list was the Pines, the singer songwriter duo of David Huckfelt and Benson Ramsey. The latter is the son of Greg Brown’s producer and sideman Bo Ramsey, and while he shares his father’s graceful, understated guitar skill he isn’t content to let his guitar do all the talking. Huckfelt’s and Ramsey’s voices work well together, similar enough to blend but still distinct. I was charmed by their duo appearance at the Carpe and immediately questioned them about available dates to play at the house. I wasn’t sure who else they would have with them after playing the Old Town School of Folk in Chicago the night before, but I was delighted that it turned out to be JT Bates, one of the Twin Cities most versatile drummers who has played with everyone from hip hop’s Eyedea & Abilities to folkie mainstay John Gorka.
Weaver had been right of course about how perfect they were for the room. Bates’ understated drumming emphasizing the pair’s gorgeous vocals. Their set contained some of their songs from their two previous releases, but leaned heaviest on 2009’s excellent release Tremolo. The record features two well-chosen covers. The first is from Spider John Koerner, an early influence on Dylan, and the second from legendary bluesman Mississippi John Hurt. The former’s “Skipper and his Wife” features a rambling tune arranged by the Pines, cheerful despite the fact that every verse ends with someone crying “All I had in this world done gone.” Hurt’s “Spike Driver Blues,” the story of John Henry, becomes even more haunting with Ramsey’s electric guitar moaning under David Huckfelt’s nimbly picked acoustic melody.
The record’s opening track “Pray Tell” has Huckfelt asking difficult (and I’m hoping rhetorical) questions like “who hung the moon so low in the sky?” and “who opens up the door between heaven and hell?” The same electric/acoustic pairing so dramatic on “Spike Driver” also percolates here, giving an urgency to the anxious but unhurried blues. Ramsey takes the lead vocals on what may be my favorite track, the shuffling love song “Heart and Bones” which features a pair of acoustic guitars and six simple lines separated by the refrain “heart and bones.” It’s stunning and surprisingly powerful. With how well their guitars duet, I would have expected their voices to do the same. Instead, they each take their turn on lead, limiting backing vocals to a few lines, even more effective for their infrequency. With the exception of “Shiny Shoes,” most of their songs don’t follow the traditional folk verse-chorus-verse format, though it sounds like they do with the use of repeated musical patterns. Admittedly, with a line as good as “But no matter how hard you try, no, you can't put the tears back in your eyes,” you need to use it more than once.
After booking the show I e-mailed Weaver to thank him for the recommendation. Within a few days he asked if it would be OK if came down and played that night too. I was delighted, I became a fan of Weaver’s music after listening (repeatedly) to his 2008 Bloodshot debut (his fifth release overall) The Ax in the Oak. Weaver’s music is the type that requires the audience’s attention. His clever non-rhymes work best in listening rooms where audiences can appreciate them, and my favorite shows of his have been in the basement and at the Frequency with similarly quiet singer/songwriter Denison Witmer. Thanks to the Pines, a bigger crowd was gathered to hear him tonight than the last time he played at the house. Unfortunately he doesn’t really like to play the more rocking songs from Oak like “White Snow” solo, but the new material recorded for his Bloodshot follow-up to be released this fall is quite intriguing. Once you hear some of his quirky poems, it makes sense when he says that it has always been about the words for him- he certainly has a way with them. It is somewhat ironic that at both of his SXSW appearances, he didn’t make it past the first verse of “Anything with Words.” Luckily, he got it back tonight.
Ben Weaver
The Pines
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