Concert review: Pretty Little Empire, Scarlet Tanager and Thankful Tree serve up impeccable three-course audio feast at Off Broadway, Saturday, May 5

Pretty Little Empire at Off Broadway in St. Louis. May 5, 2012

Pretty Little Empire. Photo by Ben Mudd.

The lone-man outfit Thankful Tree took the Off Broadway stage after 9 p.m. with looping swells of guitar and brash puffs of harmonica to build the sonic backbones.

On top of that sound he plucked away on guitar and laid down soft vocals. People dressed in attire from different time periods and cultures drifted in and out through his songs’ melodies.

Scarlet Tanager jumped up on stage shortly thereafter and kicked the show up two gears. For the uninitiated, Scarlet bring a brand of rock that inspire you to lift your wine glass in the air to good and missed fortunes while a dress or suit of white. The crowd shouted the refrains back at the band after the songs had finished. It would be hard to imagine a better stage warmer. Scarlet brought the intense energy but piped it through a completely different filter than the headliner.

Pretty Little Empire opened with the crisply-new “Out of Control.” The soft opening of the song gives way to torrents of guitar. There was no looking back from there. Joined by the masterful David Beeman, Pretty Little Empire proceeded to kill it. Then resurrect it. Then kill it again.

The usual St. Louis show protocol is to vacate the premises immediately following the last song. Despite this — and despite the fact that much of the crowd had earlier attended either Kentucky Derby or Cinco de Mayo festivities — people hung around until close basking in the glow of a stellar show. Outside on the yellow-lit veranda, beer cans were clinked and dropped well into Seis de Mayo.

Posted by | May 6, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review: Jeffrey Foucault impresses a seated Off Broadway, Thursday, April 26

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Part John Prine, part Dylan, part lonely cowboy swilling whiskey out on a moonlit prairie, Jeffrey Foucault has a chameleonic sound. This quality enhances the troubadour’s grace and emboldens the emotional power of the music.

Many of Foucault’s moving ballads are concerned with introspection and love lost, often couched in the loneliness of travel. “Starlight and Static,” from 2011′s “Horse Latitudes,” washed over the crowd at Off Broadway with tight hammer-ons and dulcet picking. Foucault’s voice stood alone, unlike on the studio version, lending the song new-found power and humanity.

“Pretty Girl in a Small Town” conjured Tom Petty vibes, as well as heartache elusively playing the edge of fiery expression, an effect conjured in all of the evening’s songs, performed stripped-down, solo and subdued. No drums, no bass, no keys — no back up anything — just a guitar and Foucault’s pure, north-country drawl.

“Ghost Repeater,” from the 2006 album of the same title, suggested Steve Earle crossed with Drive-By Truckers. The zydeco accordion featured on the studio version was absent here, which, again, lent the song a certain satisfying emotional resonance.

“Goners Most,” full of crystalline moments concerned with death and dreaming, brought the quiet warmth of Foucault’s voice to the forefront. The man is a poet, for he made “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” new again simply by adding a “for” before each phrase. An interlude lulled the audience with a delicate mood as light as crêpe paper. Before anyone knew it, Foucault’s fingertip released a final hammer-on and the instrumental melted into the nothingness of silence.

As Foucault neared the end of his set, he offered up the most satisfying version of “Passerines” I have ever heard — studio or otherwise. Again, the pedal steel and backup vocals of the album version were appropriately absent. “Nothing I Wouldn’t Do,” from 2010′s “Cold Satellite,” told the story of a man who would do anything for his woman, but Foucault made the well-worn idea new by layering the scene with details of the landscape, which he then masterfully conflated with his love.

“Train to Jackson” depicted the artist weary from travel and seeking advice from an elder: “I took a name, I found a range where my voice can make no sound. I met a man that told me son, ‘I can see you’re on the run, and if you tell me where you’re going, I’ll tell you where you’re bound.’” The notion of being “bound” for a location during a journey is one thing, but Foucault enriches the notion by suggesting how humans can be, in-fact, “bound” by travel.

Fan-favorite, “Everybody’s Famous,” marked the close of Foucault’s show. Electric and eclectic like a Califone tune, the song built dynamically with stuttering, palm-muted guitar and Foucault’s clement lyrics. At this point, a rudimentary understanding of Foucault’s true power set in; I realized I was connected to something larger, something real. There we all were, enraptured by Foucault’s music, growing more captivated each passing moment. In this whizzing, digital age, achieving such real connection is an invaluable gift.

Posted by | April 28, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review and set list: Getting into the spirit with Cursive, Conduits and Cymbals Eat Guitars at Off Broadway, Friday, April 20

Cursive at Off Broadway in St. Louis. April 20, 2012

Cursive at Off Broadway. Photo by Dustin Winter.

What happens when you mix one part Spiritualized, equal parts Pavement and Thurston Moore, a dash of late-’90s college radio and shake with a trumpet? Just another night at Off Broadway, where assorted and sundry independent music shook the rafters courtesy of Conduits, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and headliners Cursive.

“We’ve played a shit ton of shows on this tour and this has been one of the best,” declared frontman Tim Kasher of Cursive, polishing off a tall boy of unidentifiable origin as the capacity crowd swelled with roars of appreciation. Well into a generous encore, it didn’t seem as though the crowd or the band was ready to call it quits. Cursive had been ripping through the pop-punk-flavored alternative favorites that have made them beloved by erudite indie rockers for over a decade and with each song the crowd loved them more.

Kasher and Co. are well known for a deft songwriting style that assumes a sort of knowing, wink-wink disaffection that somehow manages never to be snide and in fact, revels wholeheartedly in earnest abandon at times. This is music suited to the scholarly scenester, healthily skeptic Generation Y-ers and Millennials who have no illusions about artistic purity or integrity but still believe enough to lose themselves at a live show, all for the love of watching people play instruments and sing about girls. “Art is Hard,” from Cursive’s excellent 2003 release “The Ugly Organ,” summarizes this creative vs. commercial tug-of-war in a self-deprecating missile that saw the crowd singing, cheering, and even (gasp) fist-pumping along.

But let me backtrack. There must be something in the water in Omaha that compels polite and creative young people to make music ranging from the weird to the eclectic. I’d file it under “miscellaneous.” To wit, the opening act, Conduits, an up-and-comer from Saddle Creek Records who led off with a bass-heavy dreamscape of psychedelia. Now this is stuff for which you need long hair, all the better to whip around as you alternate between gazing at your shoes and banging your head.

Second up: Cymbals Eat Guitars, which aside from being a great band name was also a great band. Hailing from New York City even though they kind of look like they’re from Ohio, CEG frontman Joseph D’Agostino announced this was their first visit to St. Louis. Their sound, a little disjointed, ranges from Pavement-esque screamo to gentler, Wilco-esque melody. Keys and a fantastic drummer who didn’t skimp on the open high hat distinguishes the sound of this foursome from other Brooklyn noise bands and in my opinion earns them a rightful place in the “if you like Sonic Youth, check out ____” category.

And then there was Cursive. Leading off with “This House Alive” from their most recent release, I Am Gemini, the four-piece plus one (an extra for the tour) peeled through old and new to the delight of the crowd, who sang along with everything and surged forward to envelop the band members in sweat-soaked approval. After returning the favor with praise for our fair city’s fan base, a lovely young lady with a flower in her hair stepped onstage with two large glasses of that beautiful amber-colored substance we all know as bourbon and offered one to the lead singer. She knocked hers back immediately, while Tim deferred — “I’ve got to play a show!” — but eventually decided that when in Rome, you’d better drink like a St. Louisian. The show went on.

By the end of the night, I was in the mood to hug everyone — such is the power of rock music and rock musicians who play every night like it’s their last. Well done, Omaha.

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Posted by | April 21, 2012 | Concerts | 1 Comment 

Concert review: Ben Kweller (with the Dig and Sleeper Agent) keeps youthfulness bubbling at Off Broadway, Friday, March 30

Ben Kweller at Off Broadway in St. Louis, March 30, 2012

Abby Gillardi

Ben Kweller and a rocking backing band kept a Friday night show at Off Broadway lighthearted and full of pop hooks.

New Yorkers the Dig took the stage first with laid-back rock ‘n’ roll. Singers David Baldwin and Emile Mosseri switched up lead vocal duty, allowing a nice mix of songwriting to be displayed from each. Mosseri thrashed about the stage while playing bass, giving the set a burst of passion. Their set had a nice pace, and even with the short set I caught, I feel like they’re a band I could see again live in a couple months.

Next up, Sleeper Agent (Bowling Green, Ky.) crammed their six members onto the crowded stage. More poppy than the previous act, Sleeper Agent featured dueling male and female lead vocals. Watching the long hair swinging from every member, I realized that they would make the perfect cast for an episode of “That 2000′s Show.” Touching on garage rock and Top 40 radio pop, Sleeper Agent rounded the bases on what “it” bands consist of. There was something about Sleeper Agent that I couldn’t quite connect with, but maybe that comes with a second listen.

Yelling the lines “You got to scream at the top of your lungs” from the opening track of his most recent album “Go Fly a Kite,” Ben Kweller and band dug straight into their performance. “I Need You Back” from “On My Way” (2004) was up next, with all three members of Kweller’s backing band taking to their microphones to really fill out the song.

His older material felt dirtier live, which came as no surprise. “The Rules,” also from “On My Way,” showcased the classic pop rock sound Kweller lived off of until his 2009 country twanged “Changing Horses.” Barreling through song after song without pausing too long between songs, Kweller and his band displayed their professionalism.

Kweller at the age of 30 still looks like a teenager with his long curls. With over 16 releases as a solo artist, he kept a nice mix of old and new material circulating through the night. “I Don’t Know Why” felt like it had been pepped up with a little style, followed by his 2002 Billboard #29 hit “Wasted & Ready.”

For “Gossip” off “Go Fly a Kite,” Kweller took to the keys to serenade while the rest of the band left the stage. Full band once again, “Falling” and “Out the Door” shook like boot-stomping music, prompting the audience to clap along. “Full Circle” found Kweller jauntily leaning towards classic country once again, complimented by the forgiving proclamation “Don’t judge anyone because everybody comes full circle/I’ve come full circle.”

Donning an acoustic and standing alone on stage, Kweller performed the titular track from “On My Way” without dropping the excitement buzzing around the set. Dylan-esque with his storytelling lyrics, Kweller’s persona of a troubadour worked with his style of poppy sun-tinged indie rock.

Throughout the rest of the set, Kweller and his band performed four tunes off “Sha Sha” (2002) as well as “Fight” from “Changing Horses,” which stood out as the best live song of the night, with rousing barroom piano and bouncing guitar sheen.

Amidst cries for an encore and chants of “Kweller! Kweller!” Ben retook the stage to play “Commerce, TX” and “Penny on the Train Track” with his band. Kweller complimented the crowd, saying “You guys party hard. Last time I came around with just an acoustic guitar, and you guys still partied hard. We will always come back to St. Louis.”

Posted by | March 31, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review: Chuck Prophet and the Mission Express (with the Jans Project) flex their rock muscles at Off Broadway, Thursday, March 22

Roy Kasten

With the simple statement “Let’s get to work,” Chuck Prophet and the Mission Express rolled up their sleeves and did just that last night at Off Broadway.

Prophet was in town supporting his latest record, “Temple Beautiful,” a rocking paean to his beloved San Francisco, but the show began with a short tour through his back catalog, including “Storm Across the Sea” from “No Other Love” and “Balinese Dancer.” Prophet and company did a brief, and seemingly irony-free, instrumental homage to the late Whitney Houston, playing a fuzzy snippet of “I Will Always Love You” before hitting the first “Temple Beautiful” tune, “Castro Halloween.”

Despite the very specific subject matter of “Temple Beautiful,” it’s not necessary to have knowledge of the Bay Area to appreciate the new songs. This is in part due to Prophet’s songwriting prowess, but also because of the muscular musical chops wielded by the Mission Express. And what was already strong work on record truly caught fire live. Over the rest of the set, Prophet and band hit some of the highlights of the new release, including “The Left Hand and the Right Hand,” “White Night, Big City,” dedicated to slain San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, and “Willie Mays Is Up At Bat.”

The Mission Express proved time and again last night that they’re as good as any band currently traveling the interstate by van. Prophet’s wife and collaborator Stephanie Finch came out from behind her keyboard to take the mic for the rollicking duet “Little Girl, Little Boy,” and later strapped on a guitar for “Tina Goodbye” from her solo record “Cry Tomorrow.” Finch’s voice, though sometimes lost a bit in the mix, proved a sweet complement to Prophet’s rough-edged vocal style over the course of the set. Guitarist James DePrato was a revelation, adding tasty, stinging slide licks and single-note counterpoints to Prophet’s signature Telecaster runs, while bassist Kevin White conjured up a monstrously toneful low-end from his Fender P-Bass and vintage Kustom amp.

Throughout the set, Prophet wasn’t afraid to let himself and the band off the leash to careen through the songs, and this resulted in some blazing rock ‘n’ roll abandon, especially the extended and incendiary versions of “Automatic Blues” and “You Did” from the “Age of Miracles” record, and a thematically odd, though eminently satisfying, cover of the Chantays’ surf instrumental classic “Pipeline,” which rounded out the encore.

In a recent email interview, I semi-kiddingly asked Prophet why he wasn’t a household name yet. Everyone at Off Broadway last night left the show asking that same question for real.

Opening act the Jans Project played a really nice, tight set of rock/pop, or pop/rock depending on your perspective, with echoes of late ’80s/early ’90s college radio darlings like Del Fuegos and R.E.M.

Posted by | March 23, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review: Clank, Boom and Steam! A Tribute to Tom Waits at Off Broadway, Friday, March 16

facebook.com/tomwaits

While some exceptions could be made for background, I’m willing to bet that for a lot of people, being a fan of Tom Waits from a young age was a lonely feeling.
 
At least, that’s how it felt to me. None of my Pointfest-going friends could appreciate the boozy jazz of “Nighthawks at the Diner” or the wild weirdness of the Island years. I tried including the songs I loved on mixtapes, but eventually, the refrain of “I guess I just don’t get it” led me to a solitary fan existence, and I listened to my favorite albums — 1974′s “The Heart of Saturday Night,” 1985′s “Rain Dogs,” and 1990′s “Small Change” — alone in my car. I didn’t seek out fellow Waits fans on the Internet, either, and it wasn’t until I caught a rare tour appearance that I understood just how deep the love for Tom Waits could run in all these people I didn’t know when I was younger. Friday night’s Clank, Boom and Steam! A Tribute to Tom Waits at Off Broadway was another gathering of the faithful, featuring devoted impersonations and inspired interpretations of the Tom Waits catalog from local musicians and plenty of appreciation from all of us fans.
 
I really wish I could give you a set list from the show, or at least a comprehensive list of the artists who took the stage (the list appearing below was taken from the event’s Facebook page, but I can’t with full authority tell you who played what). Unfortunately, the emceeing was done through a tinny megaphone, so most of the introductions were about as clear as if they’d been broadcasted from a McDonald’s drive thru. While most of the earlier acts introduced themselves, the structure of a typical live show was abandoned as the night’s festive atmosphere wore on. It wasn’t about the bands, it was about Tom and the wonderfully strange art he’s been making for decades.
 
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Posted by | March 19, 2012 | Concerts | 2 Comments 

Concert review: The Blind Eyes celebrate three years of ‘Modernity’ at Off Broadway, Saturday, March 3

Seth Porter of the Blind Eyes. Photo by Kate McDaniel

It was a boisterous birthday bash for the Blind Eyes at Off Broadway on Saturday night, who were celebrating the third anniversary of their debut release, “Modernity.”

The eclectic lineup of all local bands, the members of whom are all friends, relatives or spouses, included Scarlet Tanager (I’m convinced the phrase “adorbs” was meant to be specifically applied to them), a mellow set by Union Tree Review and the thrash duo Volcanoes, who glued me to the back wall with an eruption of noise rock. By the time the Blind Eyes took the stage, the PBR was flowing like still more PBR and the crowd was ready to shimmy and/or shake.

Of course the melodies were ebullient and the choruses tight, each song packed with the juicy, full-bodied pop-punk flavor characteristic of this foursome (a second guitarist to add a little more punch to live shows). The onstage banter was kept to a minimum as the Eyes whipped through a set that included old and new material and was over before you could say, “Oy!”

Dubbed Best Pop Band in St. Louis by the Riverfront Times two years running now, the Blind Eyes’ live experience never fails to disappoint me. These boys create near-punk gems somehow reminiscent of both early ’80s power pop (The Out, anyone?) and garage rock — albeit from a well-lit, insulated garage with microbrews in the fridge, that is. No frills, no song over three minutes, minimal pogo-ing. Giving Ted Leo a run for his money, vocalist/guitarist Seth Porter half-croons, half-yells songs like “The Nature of the Beast” and “January” that seem to get catchier by the listen.

I was left wanting a longer set, but I don’t think my eardrums or dancing shoes could’ve taken much more. Happy anniversary to one of St. Louis’ best new(ish) bands, and here’s to many more years to come.

Posted by | March 4, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review: Frank Turner delivers sweat, ire and song at Off Broadway, Tuesday, February 21

flickr.com/photos/apartmentlife/4369264324 / Melanie Parker-Levi

Cory Chisel warmed up the packed Off Broadway with a set of seven songs that conjured the lonely American countryside.

Keyboardist and backing vocalist Adriel Harris accompanied Chisel on a Nord synthesizer, providing haunting, southern-styled, churchy arrangements and dulcet harmonies. Highlight “Born Again” filled the venue with hooks, creepy organ and gritty, Midwestern grace.

Before I proceed, I want to make it clear that Frank Turner normally sells out Pageant-sized (and bigger) venues across the pond with ease, so the crowd’s hum and buzz of anticipation was more than appropriate. It was clear they were ready for exactly what they knew they’d get: a very rare and intimate show from this British, punk-folk troubadour.

The crowd tightened around the stage as Turner’s crew (personal sound guy included) performed a quick set-up and sound check. Soon, Turner appeared on stage with his backing band, the Sleeping Souls, and quickly leapt into “Eulogy,” from 2011′s “England Keep My Bones.” Turner proclaimed, “Not everyone can be Freddy Mercury,” before drummer Nigel Powell dropped a spacious drum fill and propelled the song from singer-songwriter balladry to a full-blown, nigh-Irish sounding, punk-infused rock-out.

Turner sustained the up-tempo action with “Try This at Home,” from 2009′s “Poetry of the Deed.” The song bounced along with heavy strumming, tight, articulate vocalization from Turner and bright organ accents from keyboardist Matt Nasir. Turner swayed his hips like a country star and waved at the crowd with a red, white and blue sweatband adorning his strumming arm. On “If Ever I Stray” the crowd howled along during the quieter, introspective verses and threw their fists into the air for the “1,2,3,4!” that proceeded the chorus’ drop.

Turner brought the tone down on “I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous” from 2008′s “Love, Ire and Song.” The crowd belted the ballad back at Turner with a gusto that would have made T.S. Eliot smile quietly from his muddy, English grave.

“I Am Disappeared” rang out with a light, yet rugged U2 vibe, while “Love Ire Song” sat firmly in the singer-songwriter mode, as Turner explored themes of growing up and politics, puffing off “fucks” with a grand glibness and well-timed strumming. On fan-favorite “Substitute” Turner called out, “Music is my substitute for love,” to cheers from the sweating crowd.

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Posted by | February 22, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

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