Sleeping in the Aviary/Amo Joy/So-So Radio; November 27, 2010; The Frequency

Every Sleeping in the Aviary show is unique, for better or worse, but they seemed determined to make the CD release show for Great Vacation! even more memorable than usual. To start with, there was a script for the evening’s banter, but it seemed that none of them had been involved in writing it and everyone had gotten their script just moments before. Lead singer/guitarist Elliot Kozel had most of the lines which he read woodenly, and eventually randomly. As the evening went on he would pluck pages off the floor and recite them, sometimes declaring “I read that one already,” and tossing it aside, sometimes not caring if he had. They also decided that having pizza delivered in the middle of their set would be hilarious, too bad the pizza guy wouldn’t come in and it was delivered, somewhat anticlimactically, by Amo Joy’s lead singer instead. Worse yet, the half full box fell to the floor as it was being passed through the audience, just after Elliot said that better not happen, “because that shit wasn’t cheap.” Too bad, I was hungry.

Musically the night was a little more inspired. Great Vacation! is their easiest listening record yet. In fact if you listened to it right after their first record you might not believe it was the same band. This record sounds produced, though certainly not in a bad way. I’ll admit I am still in love with the lo-fi sound of the second record (Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Motel), but I l really love that they wanted to do something different this time around. Several of the tracks feature gargling, “Last Kiss on a Sinking Ship” for example, which I think I read somewhere Elliot called “the new reverb.” That remains to be seen, but it is just another example of how they like to do things any way but ordinary. They had started the set with some lounge-y disco music, a sort of Great Vacation! theme song, and they ended the night with the same sort of music, which eventually turned into an entertaining butchering of “Staying Alive.” I was happy to see I’m not the only one who thinks the BeeGees are still relevant. Even more enjoyable was bassist Phil Malmstead’s shirt which read “Here Comes Trouble,” which is especially appropriate since I claim most bass players are nothing but trouble.

SitA met Amo Joy in Indianapolis on one of their first major tours. One of them told me that they played with a lot of bands on that tour, but they met very few that they liked. This is the third time Amo Joy has been to Madison since then, playing with SitA and their buddies Icarus Himself. They seemed to have calmed down a bit since their first manic show, which not only included extra percussion from the band, but also an additional ruckus from the noisemakers they passed out to the audience. Calmer yes, but their infectious pop is still plenty entertaining. I’d first heard of So-So Radio when they opened for the first Madison Ha Ha Tonka show in years that I had missed. I was really bummed to miss my boys, but I was also disappointed that I had to miss So-So Radio and the August Teens who I had recommended as an opener. Tonight I was entertained by the skinny young boys who claimed to be from “across the street.” Turns out they all live in different cities, so they have a hard time saying where they are from. I look forward to seeing them again. And I really look forward to seeing Sleeping in the Aviary again, they are always full of surprises.

So-So Radio


Sleeping in the Aviary

Haley Bonar/Daniel Knox; November 19, 2010; The Rathskellar

Daniel Knox






Halay Bonar

The Chapin Sisters/ The Pines/Imei; November 14, 2010; SPACE, Evanston

My friend Trine who lives in Oslo e-mailed me to let me know she would be in Chicago for a week for the American Heart meeting. While she was there she was hoping that I would come down for a show. She’s lived here several times over the years, working in the lab and going to shows with me. Back in Norway she doesn’t get to see much music, mostly because there isn’t much, so she really wanted to see some here. It was a rather slow week by Chicago standards, and I’d almost forgotten about this show even though I had it written on my calendar. She was staying downtown but was more than willing to spend an hour on the train to meet me in Evanston. I’d been to SPACE once before and liked it, now that I’ve had their pizza I like it even more. It’s a listening room, all seated, with soft lights and things hanging from the ceiling that look like the underside of mushroom caps. It kind of makes you feel like you’re in Wonderland.

The Pines had been here before, playing a sold out show with Greg Brown a few months prior, and they were also happy to be back. I’ve been lucky enough to see them in the perfect sort of room every time, Café Carpe in Ft Atkinson, Amazing Grace Bakery in Duluth, and of course my basement. As they had in the basement, they had celebrity drummer JT Bates with him. Bates has played with a wide range of musicians from Greg Brown to Eyedea, and you can see why he’s terrific. The set was similar to others I’ve seen them do, a healthy dose of songs from their 2009 release Tremolo as well as a few from the previous two. As always, the soft-spoken duo was charming on stage as they brought the crowd into their music. It seemed as though much of this Sunday night crowd had seen them with Brown and returned for another helping.

It has occurred to me that the reason I forgot about this show was the headliner. I’m not a fan of girl singers, even less so of bands with more than one, and well, if they are sisters the odds of me liking them get precipitously lower (i.e. Bowman and the Watson Twins). So it was a pleasant surprise when the Chapin Sisters turned out to not be unbearable. It probably helps that their famous last name is not a coincidence, the great storyteller/songwriter Harry Chapin was their uncle, though he died so long ago it is doubtful they ever knew him. Both sisters sang, and although Abigail took the lead more often, it was Lily‘s more exotic voice that I preferred. They were on tour with the night’s opener IMEI (or something like that), another typical female singer songwriter right down to the part that she’s obsessed with her dog. Her unremarkable set was punctuated by one highlight, a cover of Dire Straits’ “Romeo and Juliet,” one of the ten greatest songs ever written.

It was a long drive (three hours each way, much of it in pouring rain) to see so many girls, but as they always do, the Pines made it worth it.

Imei


The Pines




The Chapin Sisters

Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band; November 13, 2010; Majestic Theater

I’ve been seeing Josh Ritter for years, and I’ve never been disappointed with one of his records or with a show. Both things happened this year. So Runs the World Away is a good record, the musicianship solid, the songs smart, but there’s no emotion. Ritter is an artist who seems to have a very personal relationship with every song, but the songs on World seem disconnected. Even the record’s standout track, “Folk Bloodbath,” which pulls characters like Delia and Stagger Lee from traditional folk songs, is just a story. Even so, I was looking forward to his first Madison visit in several years. His last time through, on the “Small Town” tour, had been mind-blowing with Ritter having the time of his life, and his classic “Kathleen” had actually brought tears to my eyes. It isn’t a sad song, not at all; it is just that damn good.

So what happened tonight? Admittedly, it’s likely that most of what kept me from enjoying the show was not his fault. Instead of the High Noon’s cozy confines where I know all the best places to stand, the show this time was at the Majestic Theater, a much larger venue that I still haven’t completely figured out. Also, it was really crowded, sold out or near it. Coming from the early show at the High Noon, I was running late and ended up back by the sound board. They always say that is the spot with the best sound. That may be true, but I’m no audiophile, and I’d rather be closer to the stage otherwise I just don’t feel like I am there. There is also the possibility that I may have been a little drunk after an early show and no dinner. Sometimes that makes a show even better, while other times I just find myself annoyed.

Given those factors, tonight’s show just didn’t live up to its predecessors, and I felt that, just like the record, Ritter was phoning it in. Back by the sound board, I didn’t feel the same joy of playing radiating from the stage as I had at the High Noon. He did play “Kathleen,” while it made me happy, I wasn’t moved to tears. I’m certainly not giving up on Ritter, but next time I’ll get there earlier. And for the next record, maybe he could try harder.

The Safes/The Motorz; November 13, 2010; High Noon Saloon

I was out of town for Halloween weekend this year, but if I hadn’t been I would have been treated to the odd sight of the four members of the Motorz playing a show wearing black, curly wigs and wrestling singlets. They were playing a set as the Dictators, and not knowing anything about that band I asked if that’s what they wore. Turns out they were all dressed as the band’s lead singer Handsome Dick Manitoba. Now him I’ve heard of. To finish their Saturday happy hour set tonight they played a Dictator’s song they didn’t get a chance to play on Halloween. Now that I know something about the Dictators, I might have to check them out. Admittedly, I’ve seen enough pictures of the band in their costumes that I am pretty sure I don’t need to actually see the Dictators.

Other than that song and another Dictators’ song during the set, it was a show surprisingly low on covers. Don’t get me wrong, they choose great songs, but I don’t see the Motorz enough to get tired of their songs. And that’s what I want to hear. They’re mostly about girls, (especially tonight, a fact the band even commented on) easy to sing along to, and ridiculously catchy- the perfect power pop recipe. It also makes them a perfect pairing for the power trio the Safes from Chicago. The band consists of a pair of handsome brothers and an adorable floppy haired bass player. I would have liked them no matter what they sounded like. Luckily they were pretty awesome. The brothers both sing and switched off on drums, with one singing the first half and then taking a seat behind the kit for the second half to allow the other to take center stage. All the while the bass player struck classic rock poses, yep, nothing but trouble. I will definitely try to see them again next time they come to town.

Not a bad way to start a Saturday night.

The Motorz






The Safes

Chris Smither; November 12, 2010; Café Carpe

I’m always looking for a reason to visit the Café Carpe in Fort Atkinson. I should take more chances with the shows they book, but it seems like the only time I make it out there is for a dependable act like Peter Mulvey or tonight’s featured artist Chris Smither. I first went to see Smither because Peter Mulvey had mentioned him many times during his shows. It’s easy to see why Peter is a fan, both songwriters have similar style and a matching sense of humor. He’s instantly likeable, from his persistent smile to his totally 80’s Gary Sandy feathered hair, and his voice (both speaking and singing) is a comforting croon.

It had been a number of years since I last saw him but many of my favorite songs which all come from Drive You Home Again remain in his set. The always amusing, gonna buy me a dog lament “Get a Better One” is a crowd favorite. After he’s wronged by several women with two names he decides he’s gonna get a better one, “one with one name that comes when I call.” The giggles ripple through the audience as it takes a second to realize he’s no longer talking about a woman, but is instead opting for loyalty and unconditional love from man’s best friend. Another perennial winner is “Got no Love Today” which is based on the song of the fruit vendor in his hometown of New Orleans. He runs through a list of his wares which includes “okra, enough to choke ya,” before he claims, “But this ain't what you came to hear me say, and I hate to disappoint you, but I got no love today.” These songs are always terrific, but I actually prefer that record’s slightly dark title track with its clever, snide line, “And if I drive you to distraction, I will drive you home again.”

I’ve probably seen more Bob Dylan songs covered at the Carpe than anywhere else. The café’s gruff but lovable owner Bill Camplin, who tonight delivered his curmudgeonly introduction lying on the floor next to the microphone that amplifies the piece of plywood Smither uses for percussion, is a huge Dylan fan and I’ve seen him play entire sets of his songs. So playing a Dylan cover isn’t only expected of a singer songwriter, it’s almost required at the Carpe. Smither chose well, his version of “Visions of Johanna” was gorgeous, picking out the songs’ subtle rhymes and emphasizing lines I’d overlooked before. There’s nothing cozier than seeing a show in Carpe’s pleasantly warm music room, cradling a cup of their cinnamon coffee and hearing a revelatory version of a song you’ve heard a hundred times before. Like I keep saying, I need to get to the Carpe more often.

Acoustic Instore with the Posies; November 5, 2010; Exclusive Company, Milwaukee

Brendan Benson/The Posies/Aquaduct; November 5, 2010; Turner Hall

Aquaduct


The Posies






Brendan Benson