Concert review - Laurie Anderson

6 June 2009 (Lincoln Center, Ft Collins CO)

Laurie Anderson has gone through a number of phases. She's been a performance artist, a storyteller, a singer/musician, a visual artist, a writer, and an inventor. Listening to 1984's United States Live, she was focused on storytelling and creating a certain kind of mood that supported the deeper observations her stories were hinting at. Then she went through more of a musical interlude, with Mister Heartbreak, Strange Angels, and Bright Red. Recently, she seems to be moving back to more spoken word performances with backing music. This show was called "Burning Leaves: A Retrospective of Songs and Stories."

Before the show, they played a bit of new age music: some piano, then keyboard work with a whistling synthesizer melody. The stage was dark except for a few dozen candles, giving a sense of depth, but revealing little except for her podium/control center and the silhouette of an easy chair. This zen-like simplicity still managed to build some expectation.

The show began with some layered violin parts triggered by her violin controller. This built into a sort of Baba O'Riley fugue. Shortly after that, she drifted into her techno-primitive storytelling mode. She uses a fair amount of technology: synthesizers, computers, looping, and her own violin-based controller to create a certain kind of receptivity. But underlying this are the same kind of techniques any oral-history passing, aboriginal story teller would use: repetitive phrasing and rhythm, and fables whose moral and focus relate to issues we face today. With her sardonic delivery and ironic observations, it might be easy to dismiss these pieces as Seinfeld-esque riffs, but there's a deepness to all of this that adds relevance rather than strict humor.

The music part of this was mostly a matter of simple loops and triggered sounds. There were keyboard washes, pre-recorded parts, and simple riffs. She did play Maybe If I Fall, but this was more of an interlude than a full musical expression. The real focus was on the stories.

Some of these were familiar to me: The Ugly One With the Jewels, Aristophanes’s The Birds, and From the Air from Homeland. There were other quite odd observations, especially a few from her show Happiness. Whether it was about her time with a dysfunctional Amish family, her anti-Zen river trip, or working at McDonald's, these tales flirted with irony but the point was more about unreasonable expectations and how our minds (and lives) work. Or don't.

The most interesting of these related her experience of being in the children's ward of a hospital, recovering from a broken back. She told the whole story with a sense of exasperation at the doctor who seemed clueless and the frustrating volunteers. But the twist came with her own recognition that she's told this story often as a way of relating who she is and suddenly realizing that she had forgotten part of the story: the part of the story that included the other suffering children. This omission is part of what we do when we tell stories; part of how we wrap them up into a tidy package and make a point. But these stories are not the truth. They are a way we lie to ourselves. "Everytime you tell a story, you forget it more."

So what are we to make of a whole night of storytelling? It's the kind of question that lends itself to strong Irish coffee and stronger debate.

Newsflash

Just a quick heads up. I'm going back and editing my blog entries where I have photos to include a link to more concert photos. I'll be adding these links as I upload the sets. Please add a comment if you think this is useful.

Concert Review - Dead Rock West, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers

30 May 2009 (Aggie Theater, Ft Collins, CO)

A Roger Clyne show is guaranteed to be a fun, uplifting experience. That's why I see him every chance I can. Fortunately, he comes through Colorado fairly often, maybe because he's friends with local legend Johnny Hickman (Cracker). If you don't know Roger, he was the front man for a great band called the Refreshments, mostly known for their big hit Banditos. Since then, he's grown a lot as a writer and performer.

Dead Rock West

It's hard to open for a band like Roger Clyne's. The fans are all psyched for his unique sound and songs and they're ready for the mood he creates, too. The warm up act has to come out and fit into that somehow and still show enough of a unique character to get the audience's attention. Dead Rock West did an admirable job. Overall, they have a country roots rock sound with some of that vaguely defined "Americana" feel, which complemented the Peacemakers. My first impressions bounced around bands like the Beat Farmers, X, and maybe a touch of early REM. Of all these, X was the most obvious, with Cindy Wasserman and Frank Lee Drennen providing nicely contrasting vocal harmonies over a punky/rockabilly jam. Okay, the music angle is well covered but what about the mood?

That's covered, too. The whole band bring an exuberance that is quite different than Roger's while still building up that party vibe. The other guitarist (Gregg Safarty?) bounced around with his Flying V to every song; the energy stayed consistently strong. Frank and Cindy have an easy rapport that adds an intimacy and depth to their songs. While leads weren't the center of what the band does, they knew how to build intensity, layering a jangly wail over a deliberate country rock groove.

The more I listened to Dead Rock West, the more I could pick up a mid-60s' rock vibe, like the Animals or early Rolling Stones. Simple parts came together to create something rich and interesting. I bought their CD, Honey and Salt, and recognized several songs from their show. The energy is fairly different than their live show, maybe a little more down tempo. It wasn't as hot as their live show, which is typical, though the songs are tight and compelling. Rocket From the Crypt was my favorite of what I heard them do live. This song drives strongly and has that wailing guitar I mentioned. The CD also has their cover of X's Burning House of Love, which features harmonies that are a little sweeter than X's. Check out some of the links and give them a listen.

Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers

Aside from the great songs, the real reason why people come out over and over again to see Roger Clyne is because of the mood he creates. There's a kind of openness and acceptance that Roger personifies and the crowd takes on as their own. It's a diverse mix of people. Frat guys, older hippies, bikers, cowgirls, and more co-mingle and the shared ritual of the show transcends the labels. Don't think of it as a hippy Be-In love scene. There's a deeper layer of pragmatism that recognizes that we are all flawed and that's okay, maybe even desirable.

The crowd is just as important as the band. We all sing along with every song. Roger turns the microphone to the audience and acknowledges that these have become our songs, too. The songs talk about Mexico as an idea (Mexico, Nada, Banditos), flawed relationships (Preacher's Daughter, Down Together, Girly), and the true love buried in those relationships (Green and Dumb, Your Name on a Grain of Rice, Mercy). Then there are the drinking songs (Mekong, Jack vs Jose). Roger takes on all of these characters and the whole band throws themselves into each song. This is deeply sincere music.

The first 45 minutes passed in a blur with no real break between the songs. Then the pace let up a little and the party was well underway. The setlist favored the Refreshments era more than some of his shows, but there were still plenty of songs from the recent CDs. Roger surprised us with a cover of Tom Petty's American Girl. Normally, he doesn't play a lot of songs by other artists. Another treat was pulling out Feeling, a real old Refreshments song that I hadn't heard in a very long time.

After the band wrapped up Nada and walked offstage, the crowd chanted, "uno mas" until they came out for a final encore (Tributary Otis). Feeling wrung out and purified, we all walked into the night. It was a fine evening for cerveza y tequila.

More photos on my flickr.

Concert review - Ozric Tentacles

21 May 2009 (Aggie Theater, Fort Collins, CO)
The Ozric Tentacles deserved a bigger crowd than they performed for last night. Maybe it's because they played here a couple of months ago or maybe Thursday night was laundry night in Fort Collins. In any case, the 50 or so people who did come out got their chakras realigned and the cobwebs blasted out of their minds. It was clear that most of them knew exactly what to expect.

The Ozrics are known for a heady mix of progressive rock, psychedelia, jazz, and electronica. The songs often start with a foundation of prog-rock bass and drums: interesting time signatures (simultaneously smooth and jerky), intricate melodic lines that step just outside of simple key signature carried by a throbbing bass. Layers of keyboard flow over the top, providing washes of sonic texture and repetitive robotic groove. Ed Wynne's guitar tears through the soundscape, with a wailing distortion or choked-down funk line. Sometimes, the speedy rush opens up into a dreamier section or something more odd, like a Mideastern sound or dub groove.

Throughout their songs you can hear elements of old influences, like Wired era Jeff Beck (with Jan Hammer), Brian Eno, and Robert Fripp. But there's a more modern feel, too, like some occasional Buckethead guitar thrash, Porcupine Tree rhythms, or a techno trance pulsation. During the more intense sections, the full volume creates sonic artifacts that aren't entirely clear to understand: is that a part they're playing or is it the inner ear being overwhelmed? In either case, when the show is over, it feels like coming back home to earth.

It was an intense ride. The band was tight, even tighter than when I saw them last year. I haven't heard their new album yet (The Yum Yum Tree), but they played some songs I hadn't heard and I assume these were from the new CD. They also pulled out a number of old favorites, including Sploosh! from Strangitude.

One thing that was a little unusual was that Brandi, who's normally on keys, played bass for most the night. She nailed the progressions and added the right amount of dark bass intensity. On some of the songs, the arrangement was reminiscent of Robert Fripp, with tightly intertwined bass and guitar. This just showcased how well Ed and Brandi play together. And even though my pictures show her more pensive side, there were some moments of bliss in her playing, too, especially on Saucers. Despite her focus on bass, she did step up and put her own touch in during the sets and focused on keys for much of the encore.


I almost forgot my drink recommendation: a nice sweet, traditional dessert mead would have been perfect. Sadly, the venue only had beer.


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More photos on my flickr.