Ben Gunning
El Mocambo in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
March 25, 2005
Reviewed by Lisa Hood-Anklewicz
I'm going to be very honest. Going into my first experience of Ben Gunning playing solo, I had some pretty high expectations. Having seen Ben Gunning's former band, The Local Rabbits play live seven or eight times, performances ranging from the fair to the fantastic, packed rooms to even one afternoon at a poorly advertised show at the base of the CN Tower in Toronto where I'm pretty sure my husband and I made up half of the audience. In any case, The Local Rabbits always owned their stage, and a good part of that was due to the sheer energy, enthusiasm and power that came from Ben Gunning. And I am very happy to report that I was not disappointed by his solo performance. By the time he made it through the second song of the set, it was quite clear that the energy that Gunning was known to exhibit during the days with the Rabbits was still alive and kicking.
Upon taking the stage, joined by Robin Buckley on drums, Joel Stouffer on keys, Doug Freisen on bass, Dafydd Hughes on synth and Don Kerr on percussion, the band started out a little slow, with a bit of what seemed to be a warm up jam, taking the opportunity to tweak everything. When everything was just right, they broke into the opening track from the new album Beigy Blur, "The Beauty of God".
Gunning's performance simply demonstrated that he is a performer that puts all that he has into his shows. The energy and enthusiasm he exudes is made clear as he plays and sings, as it comes across in his facial expressions. His vocal performance is packed with power of emotion and volume, which often drowns out the chatter of the audience all on its own, without resorting to utter screaming. It is very easy to see that while on stage, Gunning is there for the sheer enjoyment of playing, with or without the audience, as much as he appreciated the crowds warm reaction.
There was a fair turnout for the show, but it probably would have been larger if the show wasn't scheduled on Good Friday. Most of the crowd was pushed against the walls of the venue, with a handful scattered around the middle. However, as often happens in the presence of Gunning's stage dynamics the crowd responded with the enthusiasm of one twice its size, a number of people were even dancing stage front during many of the songs.
During the last song, "Can't Charm Me," Gunning broke to introduce the members of the band, which led to a small jam before finishing the song. It was obvious for the whole set that the band was in great spirits and enjoying the show as much as the audience, hardly a face without a smile. Receiving a tremendous ovation from the crowd, they returned for an encore, at which point Gunning told the "secret" of the encore. Stage banter kept to a minimum over the show, Gunning made up for it with his story.
That encore, "The Deep Dark Blue," wound up becoming a chance for the band to just let it all out and have some fun. Gunning disappeared from the stage for a moment for reasons un-explained, returning to continue playing his guitar on his knees (a move that was a somewhat unspoken requirement for every Local Rabbits show). The song quickly progressed into a sonic jam overload, and there wasn't a person in the house that could be seen that wasn't enjoying it from tip to toe. At one point we paid witness to Don Kerr playing the bongo drums and still getting in the tambourine courtesy of his right ankle.
If you ever have the opportunity to catch Ben Gunning live, I highly recommend it. The show was a power packed energy rush that just kept people bouncing along with the play of a grin on their faces.
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Bob Dylan & Merle Haggard
The Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois
April 6, 2005
Reviewed by Chris Catania
The Bob Dylan Show? It was supposed to be, but that wasn't the case. The groundbreaking folk-rock icon spent most of the night pushed off stage-right and bent over behind a keyboard, supported musically by "his" band of top-notch players. Dylan's preceding tour mates, Merle Haggard and Amos Lee completely stole the show.
Maybe Dylan was trying to confuse for the sake of being different? He played each of his classics and recent songs completely rearranged melodically with only the lyrics to hint at what song it was. Certainly more than what his fans are used to and have embraced since day one, Dylan's voice was flat and hoarse, the lyrics jumbled like a Rubix cube, making each song almost impossible to understand. But nonetheless, thanks much to his band - a tight six piece centered on a female fiddle player - I was able to enjoy the concert and excuse the disappointment for the moment.
For the most part, the April 6th sellout crowd, the last of five in Chicago, was a result of a legion of fans paying homage to history and not so much coming to see a musician at the top of his game.
Was it worth the overpriced ticket to see him? Sure. It was Dylan live after all. And I promised myself to see him live once before it was too late. Yes, I had mixed feelings as I filed out of the Auditorium Theatre after the disguised and manipulated "All Along the Watchtower" encore was finished, but that's okay. That's the gamble most concertgoers take when they trade their money for an experience. Bob Dylan showed that he is the ultimate nonconformist, but he could have at least picked up a guitar and sang, right? But I guess when you're at that point in your career and you've had that much success, you can do anything you damn well want to, and get away with it. And he did.
But before Dylan...
As a true showman and the evening's birthday boy, Merle Haggard wooed the crowd with honest straight forward country hospitality, mixing in the story of how Dylan called him at his houseboat to join the Bob Dylan Show on tour this year. I don't think Dylan intended to be upstaged by Haggard when he made that call. Haggard even led the crowd in a rendition of "happy birthday... to me" as if he was back in the bars where his career started back in the 70s.
Scattered cowboy hats were tipped and waved throughout the crowd. Hoots and hollers and whistles erupted sporadically as Haggard zipped through the set in jail break fashion, as if he was serious when he said "any one of these guys behind me could go at anytime, that's why we're the only band that travels with a full staff of nurses." Haggard held nothing back, either by word between songs or with his guitar.
Amos Lee, just starting his promising career, opened the show with an inviting welcome, accompanied by a four-piece band. Lee's set was a beautiful contrast to Dylan. He pleased his fans and won over new ones with his soulful, genuine performance. The crisp and absorbing acoustics in the Auditorium Theatre only added to Lee's ability to slow ... you ... down with his warm and alluring mix of jazz, blues and country. I can't wait to see Lee grow and create more music.
As I cruised home on I-90 heading back west to the burbs and The Bob Dylan Show headed north towards Milwaukee, I thought about how I had broken one of my New Year's resolutions, which was to not spend outrageous amounts of money to see live music. But then I thought, hey ... "don't think twice, it's all right."
For the summer, Dylan and his band will be touring with Willie Nelson and the Greencards starting May 25th in Fort Myers, Florida.
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The Decemberists with Okkervil River
The Henry Fonda Music Box in Hollywood, California
March 24, 2005
The Glasshouse in Pomona, California
March 26, 2005
Reviewed by Ivan Fernandez
No one should be surprised if indie folk-rockers The Decemberists began playing a Beatles cover tune. If Colin Meloy sang "With A Little Help From My Friends," it would be the understatement of the year. Their Advance Of The Picaroons 2005 tour in support of their latest release, Picaresque, got off to a rocky start before it even began.
For starters, drummer Rachel Blumberg left the band to pursue a project with her beau, Adam Selzer. Luckily, the band quickly picked up John Moen (The Minus Five, The Maroons) as her replacement.
Petra Haden (that dog., The Rentals) was also added to the lineup, consisting of Colin Meloy on guitar/vocals, Nate Query on bass, Jenny Conlee on keys/accordion/vocals and Chris Funk on every type of guitar imaginable, to perform songs from Picaresque that included her vocal and violin abilities.
The lineup change was a pebble in the road compared to what would come next. On the day of their St. Patrick's Day concert in the band's hometown of Portland, Oregon, the group suffered one of the tragedies on the Top Ten Worst Band Tragedies list.
"We get this call at noon from Kong, their tour manager," recalls Travis Nelsen, opening band Okkervil River's drummer/manager. "He tells me 'I need a big favor.' So, of course, I say 'Yeah, just name it.' And he says 'We need to borrow all your equipment for our show tonight.'"
Earlier that day, thieves made off with the band's trailer filled with their instruments and equipment. Thanks to support from their opening act and from their loving fan base that donated much of their own money to help replace the stolen equipment, The Decemberists were able to continue on their tour.
Eventually, they made their way into my neighborhood for two nights of indie-folk rock. The festivities began on March 24th at the Henry Fonda Music Box in Hollywood and continued on March 26 at The Glasshouse in Pomona.
Okkervil River (named after a river in St. Petersburg, Russia and a short story by Katayanna Tolstaya) had the always-interesting job of warming up the crowd as the opening band. The group is currently riding a wave of critical praise and positive press concerning their latest effort, Black Sheep Boy. Will Sheff, the band's mastermind, wrote most of the album while on tour for the previous album, Down The River Of Golden Dreams.
The group's music was like the soundtrack to a Huckleberry Finn movie starring James Dean as Huck as directed by Woody Allen. The music was folkish in nature with a slight hint of country. But please, for the sake of music, don't call it country. "It's so disappointing when you're always being compared to a country band," said Sheff. "That's an insult to country music to call us a country band."
Comparisons to indie-folk legend Neutral Milk Hotel, while welcomed, are also off. "I really don't think we sound like them at all, but the emotional commitment behind [Neutral Milk Hotel] made a big impression on me" said Sheff.
On the first night, Sheff, flanked by Jonathan Weiburg on accordion/vocals, Zach Thomas on bass/mandolin/vocals, Scott Brackett on keyboard/trumpet, Chris Heinrich on guitars/tambourine and Nelsen on drums, serenaded the crowd to a mix of songs from Black Sheep Boy and Down The River Of Golden Dreams. The crowd, while cordial, was mainly waiting it out for the headlining act.
The Pomona show proved different as everyone who made it inside as soon as the doors opened sang along to all the old songs and rocked out to all the new ones. "I actually felt like we were welcomed," said Sheff.
Although the music was mellow and laid back, the group kept the adrenaline flowing as Heinrich, Meiburg and Brackett continually traded off instruments. Sheff himself pulled some moves out of the rock star dictionary as he performed while standing on Nelsen's drum kit.
The Decemberists took the stage soon after and started each night with "The Infanta." The sets included other songs off Picaresque, including "We Both Go Down Together," "The Bagman's Gambit" and "16 Military Wives."
Meloy could have easily given up his vocal duties on either night as each crowd knew every single word and sang along with him.
The crowds on each night were treated to a special performance of one of Haden's a capella covers of The Who Sell Out. Although most of the crowd's parents were barely old enough to rock out to The Who, the music went over great.
"The Mariner's Revenge" was the main attraction on both nights. Meloy took a few minutes before playing the song to give each half of the crowd their set of instructions. Then, the audiences giddily awaited their moment in the spotlight as The Decemberists played. Haden and Conlee's backup vocal segments only added to the tension.
Finally, the moment of sweet release came as Meloy gave the crowd the signal. Stage right, everyone screamed bloody murder while stage left, everyone groaned like an upset stomach in need of laxatives. "Oh my God, it's a giant whale!!" screamed a fan.
The song ended in grandiose fashion with The Decemberists rocking out all over the stage. Both instruments and performers were splayed out on the stage floor like snow angels by the end.
After the show in Pomona, Chris Heinrich showed me his tambourine, which he broke the night before. "John Moen totally fixed my tambourine," he said as he showed me the instrument, which was now expertly wrapped in duct tape.
We all get by with a little help from our friends.
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Glenn Tilbrook & The Fluffers
Mod Club Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
April 17, 2005
Reviewed by Adam D. Miller
"Cheers, loves!"
Glenn Tilbrook may not be the household icon that his contemporaries Elvis Costello and Graham Parker are, but to a legion of fans around the world, he is a living legend. As the lead guitarist and primary vocalist in Squeeze, he was half of the closest a songwriting partnership in the 1980s ever came to any sort of Lennon and McCartney. Chris Difford, who contributed lyrics and rhythm guitar, along with the occasional vocal, last recorded with Squeeze in 1998. It was when he decided he'd had enough that Squeeze ceased to exist as a band.
Squeeze had the poetic lyrics, the catchy melodies and choruses, and the guitar-driven pop vibe that should have made them worldwide sensations, but they remain largely unheard of in North America.
After playing a successful solo acoustic tour in support of his first solo album, The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook, Glenn has hit the road again, this time with The Fluffers, a young, good looking band featuring Lucy Shaw on bass, Simon Hanson on drums, and Stephen Large on keyboards.
The Fluffers were great at effectively playing Squeeze's older hits without making them sound too much like the records, and it was great to be a part of the small crowd that enjoyed Tilbrook and his band on an unseasonably warm Sunday night in the Little Italy district of Toronto.
But let's give credit where credit is due. It was Tilbrook who stole the show, singing with just as much energy and range as he did in his younger days with Squeeze. Especially energy! Before launching into the first of two sets, Glenn jumped off the stage and danced around the floor, before rolling onto the ground and showing off some hilarious breakdance moves.
The show opened with "You See Me," a solo Tilbrook track co-written by Ron Sexsmith, who just so happened to be in the audience that night.
But the evening wasn't all about new songs. Tilbrook knew exactly what the crowd came hungry for, and he delivered. The Squeeze hits proved to be the biggest crowd pleasers. After "You See Me," the band launched right into a solid rendition of "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)," one of Squeeze's early hits. The performance was dead-on, featuring excellent lead guitar riffing from Tilbrook. The first set also included a great rendition of "Tempted," probably the band's biggest hit and "Is That Love."
I went into the show unfamiliar with a lot of Tilbrook's solo material, but was impressed with how much of it stood up well alongside the Squeeze material. Two songs from his latest album, Transatlantic Ping Pong, struck me in particular. "Neptune" is a song written about Chris Difford, and "Ray & Me" is about childhood friendships in England after World War II. The latter was touching and nostalgic, much like Squeeze's East Side Story album.
The first set ended even songs in with another early Squeeze hit, "Another Nail In My Heart," before taking a well-deserved ten minute break.
Glenn returned to the stage alone to play a solo acoustic performance of "Tough Love" from Squeeze's 1987 album Babylon and On. It was a spirited performance, but the highlight of the night came when Tilbrook unplugged his guitar and stepped away from the microphone:
Tilbrook and guitar jumped down into the crowd for a completely unplugged (ie, no microphone) rendition of "Goodbye Girl," which started out solo-acoustic before melodica and percussion noises came from various corners of the Mod Club Theatre. Sure enough, the Fluffers one and all approached the centre of the floor, where they joined together in a stripped-down performance that had the crowd enthusiastically singing along. The energy ensued as the band hopped up onto the bar for an rowdy and spirited version of "Black Coffee In Bed," before returning to the stage to complete the song plugged-in and in full force.
The second set also included an energetic rendition of "Up the Junction," but it was the encore, and extended version of "Take Me I'm Yours" which solidified the evening. For two full-length sets, Glenn Tilbrook was all ours, and we were thrilled to have him.
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