The aftermath, West Hartford, Ct

How can I explain this paradigm shift? I was going along, living my life, within a certain comforting flow of events and circumstances. Ups and downs, to be sure, but overall a sense that everything would be ok. Then suddenly – and it came at me with no warning – this major change. I was no longer sure… of anything. Maybe it was the economic downturn and general malaise and dissatisfaction; the overseas violence and uprisings. Or perhaps it was the odd and increasingly frequent natural disasters. A seemingly endless maudlin parade of surprises. A new reality operating at a completely different frequency that I didn’t understand. At some point when I wasn’t paying attention, I got out of sync. And here we are. Welcome to the new normal.

So it was really nothing out of the ordinary when, on this seemingly benign autumn weekend, a significant portion of the Northeastern U.S. would get a small taste of what everyday life is like for a quarter of the world’s population.

Apocalypse Lite

Sometimes it isn’t enough to watch stories of social upheaval, endless wars and famine, blatant economic inequality and environmental catastrophe on distant shores. Sometimes it isn’t even enough to see it over in the next town. To begin to get a grasp of how bad things really are, you need to have the sort of weekend I did. As much of Connecticut is within the “upper third” of that 99%, I must point out that we’re not talking about 20 mile hikes to the nearest clean water supply. As stated by a comrade in a 50+ person queue at the only open and fully powered Starbucks for miles, this was Apocalypse Lite. We waited for our lattes and watched as people and laptops crammed themselves into every table and floor space, cell phones and other devices plugged into every outlet, and speculated on their new ad campaign – “Has disaster struck? Starbucks has you covered!”

Festival of Frights

It was late morning on Saturday when the snow began to fall, several hours before the forecast prediction. My father tried to convince me to drive back to Boston immediately. Lucky for him, I refused. Late afternoon and already getting dark, I was on my laptop at the kitchen table, when suddenly everything shut down. What followed was a mad scramble for flashlights and candles. My parents were comically unprepared for an emergency. The only candles in the house were those thin ones for Hanukkah, though miraculously I unearthed a menorah from the back of a closet which probably hadn’t been used since the 1970s, if at all. They have a fireplace, but no wood. There’s four beds, three of which need to be plugged in, and the fourth which, when the temperature falls below 60, hardens to a concrete slab. The most plentiful food items available: ice cream, sardines, and pancake mix.

It took crews 4 days to figure out how to take down this tree. Their first attempt blocked the entire road, instead of just half.

A swirling haze of events and impressions

October 28-31. the storm and its aftermath. cracking tree branches throughout the night like continuous gunfire. morning breaks, and with it, snow and devastation. all is eerily still for a while, as people take stock. no heat, no electricity, no phones. mid-afternoon and no plows in sight anywhere. five complete strangers are suddenly outside shoveling our walk and driveway; turns out they’re concerned neighbors. the first of many random acts of kindness. an early morning chat with a fire chief at his station while he lets me charge my phone. 50 people and 20 laptops stuffed inside a tiny Starbucks in one of the few shopping centers in many miles with power. a mad scramble for supplies – fire-starters, briquettes, hardwood charcoal; anything remotely flammable. cans of beans and vegetables; crappy candles left behind by prior vultures. helpful conversations struck up by complete strangers that yield crucial information. a kind woman goes out of her way to deliver a bag of wood chips. not a single generator to be had in all of Connecticut. a creeping feeling of fear and helplessness. spotty cell phone service adds to the sense of isolation.

a second cold night on a frozen sponge of a bed afforded me a few hours of fitful sleep. daybreak and uncertainty. how long would it last? we’re all cold and miserable; my mom’s physical condition makes it impossible to stay, and also impossible to get to a shelter. debate, discussion, and finally, a plan. through tree- and power line-strewn streets and bewildered, snarled traffic trying to negotiate jammed intersections with no street lights. 100-car lines snaking around the few open gas stations. a near fist fight with an old man in a silver Lexus.

October 31, Halloween. we arrive at Hartford hospital around 2pm; it ends up being a 10-hour wait until mom’s officially admitted for the night. after two interviews, she’s moved first into the hallway, then a small room, in the triage area. more waiting, and then another hallway, another small room, in the actual emergency department. meanwhile in the waiting room, a constant stream of ragged souls seeking shelter. frightened sick people share space with snoring vagrants. those not asleep in chairs and on couches are reading, eating, on computers, charging phones. there’s an Au Bon Pain open until midnight and internet access. bliss.

a mystical, sleep-deprived encounter with a good looking young man in shackles, guarded by a uniformed and armed policeman, just outside my mom’s room at the ER. he has a wild look in his eyes that matches my own. we exchange furtive glances; our eyes lock briefly before I mentally shake myself and pull out of the fog. there’s a middle-of-the-night trip to a gas station in downtown Hartford that’s like a scene from Mad Max – cars strewn in every direction, trying to jam their way in; hip-hop pounding from open windows. It’s edgy and aggressive, fueled by confusion, uncertainty, fear and bravado. An apocalyptic party at fever pitch.

West Hartford officially postpones halloween, though I crossed paths with enough haunted spirits that day to last me a lifetime. at around 3am, we pull in to our shelter for the night (heartfelt thanks to our friends and family, Tina and Tony).

November 1. awoken by trucks and wood chippers, but at least I awoke relatively rested and not shivering. back at the hospital, precariously perched between two prickly places: how to avoid my mother’s wrath and ricocheting mood swings, while stalling for time with the hospital staff to keep her in a warm bed with hot meals?

November 4, back in Boston. six days after the storm hit, 75% of West Hartford (and several other towns) still without power. downed phone lines, dodgy cell phone access, tempers frayed, accusations flying. Connecticut Light & Power is accused of lying and dirty dealing. their estimation: 99% restoration by 11:59 pm Sunday; West Hartford fire chief’s response: no way. mom is finally kicked out of Hartford hospital; miraculously they find another place for her.

November 6. inexplicably, power comes back on at my parents’ house, much to my dad’s immense relief. it makes no sense, as 60% of the town is still dark. it doesn’t matter; we’ll take it.

CL&P vows to have 100% power restored by 11:59pm tomorrow (11/9), 11 days after the storm. I have a feeling they’ll be discussing this for a little while.

What I Learned

1. Menorah candles burn a lot longer and a lot brighter than you’d think.
2. Wood chips are not the same thing as wood, even though they both come from trees.
3. Ice cream cones and pancake mix are not helpful food items in the event of a power outage.
4. Cleanup crews in suburban towns have no idea how to cut up a large tree.
5. Starbucks’ checkout counter is a heck of a lot more efficient at servicing their customers than your average hospital emergency room.
6. Not paying contractors for the last catastrophe is not the best way to win their loyalty and support for the new catastrophe.

Looking for something special to do tomorrow? Well, here it is. Exeter, New Hampshire is having its 3rd Annual UFO Festival. Speakers include the legendary Stanton T. Friedman, Richard Dolan, MUFON New England director Steve Firmani, and others. Jeff and Jess Finn will be presenting premiering their documentary, Strange Septembers: The Hill Abduction & The Exeter Encounter. There’s activities for kids and families – ET & UFO drawings, storytelling, crafts and games, UFO craft construction – and what’s sure to be my personal favorite, an Alien Pet Costume Contest (there’s a kid’s costume contest as well). In the evening, there’s a panel discussion and then live music. It runs 8am to 10pm. Peruse their site for the full schedule and directions. And here’s the best part: IT’S ALL FREE!

The Mercury Lounge

It is an odd paradox. The Airborne Toxic Event’s audience is getting larger, the hardcore fans more rabid, so many are now singing their praises; and yet, people seem to be actually hearing them less.

At the tiny Pianos on NYC’s Lower East Side last Monday night, Mikel tried to joke about the situation – “Oh, I see the bar’s open… well, it wouldn’t be an Airborne show..”, but it had to suck for them. Eight days in to a 15-day-straight run of shows before a single day off, they were all visibly exhausted, and Mikel had observed a 24-hour “vocal silence” of no talking before the show, in order to preserve his voice. The setlist was drastically altered in favor of quieter ballads instead of vocal chord-straining all-out rockers, and that – along with sweet, sentimental introductions in between every song – should have made this an unusual and very special time for their most loyal fans. There were stories of the early days before Airborne – Mikel’s upstairs neighbor banging on the floor to get him to stop playing, and of previous band members saying “your band’s never going to make it.” Of dragging a broken amp down Ludlow Street, and thanking Pianos for “giving them a shot.” About their first single, “Girls In Their Summer Dresses,” and the tiny label that released it, Square Records. Of all the support they’ve received, the many letters, and the connection with their audience. It should have been an evening of beautiful music and shared experience. Except that the cast of Jersey Shore was in attendance that night.

Pianos, New York City

An inebriated gentleman directly behind me kept yelling out (as in 10 or 12 times), “I love you Mikel!” (who first responded with “I love you too, buddy,” but after about the 8th time, “Yes, I think we’ve established that.” This neanderthal, though professing his love for Mikel, proceeded to sing loudly enough (and out of tune) to nearly drown him out. My quiet requests, desperate pleas, then repeated kicks to the shins, did nothing to stop this. “Please, I came to hear him sing, not you.” “Can’t you tell I don’t care?” Thanks. [Note: I couldn't bear to actually embed this video, but you can see it on YouTube, if you don't believe me...]

So when did Airborne’s fans become a bunch of knuckle-draggers? Has this been a slow and steady transition, one which I am only just now noticing? When Mikel politely asked one guy if he could please be quiet while he tried to speak, he was answered back with “I have one night, dude.” Excuse me? You’ve only going to this one show, so you want to be as noisy as possible so you can’t hear the band (this part I just don’t get at all), and screw all the rest of us? Hey, I drove down from Boston for this show, dude. One fan flew in from Germany, dude. I hate to break it to you, dude, but it isn’t just about you. And what about the band? Maybe a little respect is in order for a hard-working group of people who are here tonight 3,000 miles from home, sharing with you some quality songwriting and sophisticated musicianship in a living room-sized Lower East Side club. [Note to Pianos: This was was my first time in your legendary indie rock band incubator, and man, is it ever awesome. I'll be back!]

An interesting thing is happening, and for all the annoyance of anticipating these two shows for months, then being confronted with this lack of respect (the crowd at the Mercury Lounge was a little better), I leave this experience with my already soaring admiration for this band about 10,000 times greater. Because despite the blind and deaf mob (not all of course, but enough to set the tone in a small room, and that crass album cover could not be more appropriate), the band is becoming more serious. Way more serious. Serious about their music, their message, and especially their commitment to each other. In an unguarded moment after the show, Anna spoke of her admiration for Mikel, how he “puts himself on the line” – not just in the physical sense of being the band’s front man, but emotionally, as the words he sings are of such a personal nature; a window into his soul. Well, that last bit is mine, and I’m paraphrasing here, but she went on to say how it’s a good thing he decided to put together a band, so he didn’t have to be “out there” on his own as a solo artist; that the others could be there for him and support him. I knew they all felt that way, it’s obvious in every interview and in the way they play together, but to hear it expressed like that was deeply moving. That’s the great thing about being so damned weary – people will say the most extraordinary things.

I’m reminded of Mikel’s early description of the band’s camaraderie as “a group of siblings stranded on a desert island”. This is even more true now, as the water rises, more treacherous and perilous, with outside pressures that could threaten even the strongest spirit, clearest vision, and greatest resolve. People’s misinterpretations of what the band represents, what they’re about, the strange “projections” that come from widespread radio airplay and increasing success. Yes, bands are broken up because of drugs and crazy lifestyles, but also because of growing egos stoked by gushing adulation and hollow promises; a lost sense of direction. True success happens on one’s own terms; not to buy in to all the bullshit is the greatest challenge.

Daren, at the Mercury Lounge

The Mercury Lounge was also no happy hippie fest, but for entirely different reasons. For one, no one told me it was hardcore punk night. This might seem like a curious choice for Airborne’s support act – except that Noah’s cousin is the lead guitarist. What’s even more interesting, I recall that when they played the Fillmore West in San Francisco back… well, back when, “Noah’s cousin’s punk band” supported them. And now I find out – it was a different cousin, and a different punk band! (must be something in the genes?). In any case, when the lead singer of State of Decline lounged out on the stage – mohawk and tattoos, eating his dinner before their set, with a young drunken blond promptly hitting on him – I knew it was going to be an interesting evening.

(actual overhead conversation): “What band are you in?… so where’s the afterparty?” | “Do you have any coke? That would make me very happy” | (she leans over and kisses him) | “I can see down your shirt” (she doesn’t seem to mind)

State of Decline were… ok. Crazy antics from the lead singer, with people at the front cautiously keeping their distance as he swung his mic stand inches from their heads. There was a kind of “sameness” to all the songs; nothing terribly distinguishing. Noah’s cousin (I’d provide a name, but I can’t find more than a mention of this band online) did a few songs on his own at the start. A vocalist he’s not. But he’s a decent guitarist, and the songs were such that.. well, from what I could make out, I’d say there’s some potential, but he’d be better off going it alone or with a different band. Sorry guys, just my humble opinion. It was all cool, though, I managed not to get whacked with that mic stand, and it was actually quite a bit of fun. What wasn’t cool was when a friend of theirs, this skinny junkie with bleached out white hair, decided he would climb up on stage and lunge off, hurling himself into the front few “rows”. I have nothing whatsoever against crowd surfing, but there are nights to do this, and nights not to. This really wasn’t that sort of crowd, nor were any of them expecting it, so those who had fast reflexes stepped back quickly, leaving him to land hard on the concrete floor, taking out a few unfortunate folks with him.

Noah's cousin, doing a solo set

State of Decline, in a rare quiet moment when I wasn't afraid my camera would get broken.

After a broken mic stand, food spilled all over the front monitors, and an audience shaking their heads, thinking “what the fuck??”, Airborne took to the stage and ripped through a considerably more rocking set than the night before. Mikel’s voice seemed stronger, the band more energetic, and they hit the ground running with “Papillon”, and wailed through a marvelous version of “The Kids Are Ready To Die” (the punk version, of course), leading gorgeously into “Welcome To Your Wedding Day”. A nice mix of old and new, fast and furious, changing things up completely from the low-key evening at Pianos. “Innocence” finished off the main set, sounding just wonderful, and with less interruption during the exquisite intro than what I was expecting. There was again a surprising element in the crowd, nowhere near as obnoxious as the night before, but still not what I remember of Airborne Tox fans as recent as last year.

For an encore, they launched into “Does This Mean You’re Moving On?”, though Mikel, warily eyeing a few over-exuberant girls in the front who immediately started grabbing at his legs as soon as he came to the edge of the stage, wisely decided against wading in this time. And despite (or because of) the aforementioned floozy, who was now shrieking for “Missy”, they instead closed the evening with “All At Once”.

Fortunately, it seems the audience improved as the week went on (or at least, the handful of amateur drunks got “absorbed” in larger audiences), which I’m glad to hear for those who were able to see all five NYC shows. It’s a shame though, and perhaps an indication that you can never really go home again. Everything has changed. Viewed from a distance, I suppose it’s just part of the band’s evolution. Some things are lost, some things are gained, life goes on. Bring on the All At Once tour.

Night #1 Tonight: Philadelphia, The Trocadero;
Wednesday, May 11 – Boston, House of Blues – tix still available.

Other Videos
Pianos: Wishing Well | It Doesn’t Mean A Thing | The Book Of Love | Gasoline/Does This Mean You’re Moving On?
Mercury Lounge: Wishing Well | Does This Mean You’re Moving On?

The Town Hall, New York City, Sept. 11

So I saw some really cool shows a few weeks ago. The Airborne Toxic Event, along with their uber-classy pals The Calder Quartet, blessed the East Coast with a handful of magnificent concerts. Part lush string arrangements and heartfelt ballads, part good ol’ sweaty and leaping around like monkeys rock ‘n roll. I’m hard pressed to come up with superlatives that I haven’t already used (in great abundance) in connection with Airborne Tox. Because, you know, I’ve written about these guys a few times before. If it’s ok with you, I’m going to combine the shows I attended – Somerville Theatre, Kewsick Theatre, and New York City’s Town Hall, plus a movie night with some good friends at an old Yiddish theatre on the Lower East Side. It was a magical and spectacular road trip holiday with some of my favorite music as the soundtrack.

Apart from sheer beauty of hearing Airborne with the lush, majestic string arrangements of The Calder Quartet (quite a combination), they radiated such joy during the show, it was beautiful to watch and be part of. With time back home in L.A. to regroup (and to sleep a little) after a crazy 2-year world tour, focused virtually all this year on writing and recording the new album, they were obviously very happy to be out playing again, performing new songs (and several beloved old ones) for wildly appreciative audiences.

This performance was designed to give those outside of Los Angeles a little taste of that very special Disney Hall show back in December, which happily has been released on DVD (a review of that amazing thing is coming up next). The show was split into two sets; the first more acoustic, and the second more rock ‘n’ roll (though the latter half included plenty of classical grace, in the form of Calder Quartet-enhanced versions of “Midnight”, “Innocence”, and a wonderful new arrangement of “All I Ever Wanted,” with a slight structural and lyric change in the middle… very nice.

It began, as did the Disney Hall show, with The Calder Quartet performing “String Quartet: II – Assez Vif: Trés Rhythmé” and Airborne walking out near the end, gracefully gliding into the familiar opening notes of “Wishing Well.” A really gorgeous arrangement. Followed by a perfect segue into “This Losing,” which I for one am very happy to hear is on the new album. “The Book of Love” was next, with Mikel’s touching story about the song, which he sings as a tribute to his grandmother who sadly passed away a week before the Disney Hall show. “Duet” has really come into its own since I first heard it last October when it was known as “Untitled”… heartbreaking and beautiful.

Two more new songs from the forthcoming album made an appearance at these shows. “All For A Woman” is Mikel’s deeply personal thoughts on touring, with Noah playing some really wonderful lead guitar and Steven switching to bass.

“All these grateful looks, all these grateful eyes
all these furious stares, all these fretful sighs
promising everything to everyone
we’ll be back soon, you’re our favorite ones…” – All For A Woman

These special arrangements the band crafted for the Calder Quartet are quite gorgeous. Their performance together of the extended version of “Innocence” is well-known to fans, but the strings in “All I Ever Wanted” (especially Eric Byers’ cello with Noah’s upright bass) are stunning. As was Mikel’s beautiful speech at the beginning, about how music is a celebration of something that brings us all together.

The setlist, as well-crafted as it was, turned out to be a suggestion rather than rigidly adhered to, with the band opting to switch things around here and there, adding a few unexpected but warmly welcomed old friends – “Does The Mean You’re Moving On?” and “Papillon”. In Pennsylvania and NYC, we were treated to “Something You Own,” introduced with some delightful tinkly toy piano and then backing vocals from Anna and Noah (and a few lyric changes as well). The audience, perplexed as to whether or not it was ok to jump up and down while others were seated behind you, chose to sit for the first half and dance during the second. On the set list, “Gasoline” was listed just before “Innocence,” but it never happened that way, because “Gasoline” proved to be so, um, incendiary, it was decided that, as starkly gorgeous as the introduction to “Innocence” is, it would have been a major buzz kill. When it was performed, the Calder Quartet’s accompaniment raised that amazing song to new heights.

For the encore, they performed the title track of the new album, the very anthemic-sounding “All At Once” (”I feel the world changing all at once, I guess we’ll be ok”).

Somerville Theatre ~ September 8, 2010

The Somerville Theatre was at the top of my “wish list” of possible Airborne venues. An old theatre from vaudeville days, it has an art deco charm and laid-back vibe, and hosts many awesome concerts. Wicked comfortable, great acoustics, in a cool neighborhood, and they serve beer and wine. What’s not to love? A low-key, no-stress place, unlike… (well, never mind, as I’ll probably find myself there again when Tox tours the new album). Oh yeah, and a good place to see a movie, too.

Airborne’s last date with Boston was back in April, for the odd and wonderful ‘Jack Daniel’s show’ (and Ames acoustic session). Five months later and so deeply missed that this Somerville show was sold out weeks before, they had been holed up in the studio since early summer recording and seemed as anxious to share their new music as we were to hear it.

Other videos from Somerville: Goodbye Horses | Innocence

“All I Ever Wanted: Live from the Walt Disney Concert Hall” Film Premiere, Sunshine Cinema, New York City ~ September 9, 2010

A very special evening in a small art-house theatre to see a film that literally brought tears to my eyes. Several times. And I don’t often cry at movies. This concert film and ‘making of’ documentary is incredibly beautiful – a full review to follow soon.

Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA ~ September 10, 2010

A charming old theatre in “Keswick Village”, North of Philadelphia, and a beautifully warm audience with an odd habit of hissing instead of applauding after songs… (see YouTube video of “Happiness Is Overrated”). “Does This Mean You’re Moving On?” was introduced with “hey everybody, we’re gonna play a song we didn’t practice” (though it sounded perfect), and Mikel was so happy with the vibe, he invited everyone over for lunch.

Town Hall, New York City ~ September 11, 2010

It was a poignant day to be in New York City, on the anniversary of 9/11. The streets were amazingly vibrant with tribute events and concerts, and an especially strong feeling of community. And oh yes, let us not forget the Naked Cowboy of Times Square.

The show itself felt somewhat “unhinged” and teetering on the edge of disaster, as NYC shows often do to me. “All For A Woman” was introduced as being about “when you spend a lot of time on tour, your life starts to become a bit of a blur, and you forget what it all started with.” After “Gasoline” raised everyone’s energy level to fever pitch, they followed with “Does The Mean You’re Moving On?”, and then, not wanting to lose that delirious, transcendent moment, continued into “Papillon” to absolute audience frenzy. Mikel, lost in the moment, sprayed the front rows and part of the stage with water, then proceeded to spin around, slip, and wipe out. He handled the awkward (and obviously painful) experience with tremendous grace and good humor (”See, that’s why you don’t do this at home”… “I think I broke my rib. If I keep playing, is that part of rock ‘n’ roll?”… “Does anybody have any fuckin’ Icy Hot?”).

This was also the first time, I believe, that “Missy” paid a visit not only to Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire,” but also Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” Both blending in so perfectly, they sound like they belong there.

I have only one question… when’s the next tour?

[For a review of their Washington, D.C. show, see my friend Mary Chang's article on there goes the fear.]

Keswick Theatre, Glenside PA, Sept. 10

On the venue. It’s the sign of a truly magnificent joining of artists and audience when you can transcend a shitty club. For this place to suddenly seem like an intimate, loving embrace was nothing short of miraculous. All three bands were warm and engaging, and they somehow managed to completely overcome the rather harsh and cold atmosphere of The Webster. It’s the vibe, ya know? But the audience was superb, and my guess is that there just aren’t many “mid-sized” venues like this one in the downtown Hartford area. They do have a smaller downstairs space for smaller shows, though I’ve never been in there.

An Horse

Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, An Horse is Kate Cooper on guitar & vocals and Damon Cox on drums and vocal harmonies. Kate has a lovely pixie-esque presence and sweet voice, and they have a surprising full-band sound for just two people.

During the show, I found I preferred their quieter songs that focused more on her voice and the harmonies, rather than the straight-out rocking ones. I think this was mostly because I could then actually hear the vocals, a problem I often have in big, boomy airplane-hanger-type rock clubs. Listening now to songs like “Camp Out” and “Postcards”, I’m thinking I would really like to see these guys at a smaller club with better acoustics, or possibly a nice theater. I was going to say that the only problem I had with their set is that the songs seemed to have a “sameness” to them, and give the suggestion that they mix them up with some softer ones, but I don’t get that feeling listening to things at home, so it was probably just the not-so-great acoustics.

One great quieter thing I enjoyed a lot was “Little Lungs”, which has the line, “they told me, they told me I should just concentrate and breathe…”

Have a look at their official video for “Camp Out”:

In January of 2010, they’re doing quite an extensive tour of Canada with Tegan and Sara. See their MySpace for more info.

Cage The Elephant

To give an idea of what Cage The Elephant is all about for those uninitiated souls out there, the first comment I jotted down was “totally fucking crazy”. These guys don’t have any warm up period; they hit the stage and they’re FULL ON NUTS. Brad Shultz, guitar; Jaren Champion, drums, Daniel Tichenor, bass; Lincoln Parish, lead guitar; and the mad whirling dervish himself, Matt Shultz on vocals and vibrating, spinning insanity. Their music has a southern-tinged ‘religious revivalist’ vibe with a punk rock attitude and unhinged intensity. Incredibly addictive, especially when seen live, which I highly recommend to everyone out there.

As for what they played – half their debut album (hard to believe they only have one album out; they play like a long-established band), plus five songs (half the set) of non-album and probably new tracks, including “Indie Kids”, which was introduced with “this is a new song, hope you guys don’t mind”. Needless to say, no one did.

As he did at a Providence block party back in the summer when I first saw them, Matt made quick work of crossing the proscenium. In fact, he obliterated the proscenium. First taunting the audience at its edges, he then took the plunge and dove in, with Lincoln Parish soon following. At the end of their set, he decided he needed to get up close and personal with everyone just once more; this time he literally launched himself into the crowd. I’m amazed by the guy’s energy, and it seems that no stage, however spacious, can quite contain him. At one point while spinning out of control, he knocked over half the drum kit, which a roadie reassembled as they continued to play.

They closed their set with “Saber-tooth Tiger” which was great and I’m thinking now that they’re probably starting to write and test out new songs for their follow-up release, hopefully soon. They’re still touring, and will be playing in California, Utah, Colorado, and through the South, plus Texas, Florida and Las Vegas through December.

Cage The Elephant setlist, with Matt's 'signature bunny'

After Cage The Elephant’s fire and fury, I expected Silversun Pickups to be far more subdued; gorgeous and wonderful, but subdued. How wrong I was! As much as I liked these guys beforehand, I was really only “very familiar” with a few of their hits (i.e. “Lazy Eye”, “Panic Switch”), and had never seen them perform. While it seemed like a cool idea, I wondered how good a match they’d be with Cage The Elephant. Holy shit… perfect. They were just as ferocious, just as visually and aurally engaging, with a mix of nice indie pop/rock and sonic experiments. Walls of delicious keyboard craziness from Joe Lester and guitar feedback courtesy of Brian Aubert closed out many of their songs in grand, epic fashion. And bassist Nikki Monninger, with her angelic, siren-like voice is a perfect complement to Brian’s lovely lead vocals. So beautiful. Her rendition of “Creation Lake” in the encore made me wish she sang lead on more songs, as she’s quite wonderful.

They performed most of their newest Swoon CD, plus selections from Carnavas and two from their debut EP Pikul. I realize now and it’s quite cool that they did one from each in their 3-song encore (”Substitution”, “Creation Lake”, and ending with “Common Reactor”). As with the other Silverlake-area bands I’ve had the immense pleasure of seeing in person here on the East Coast recently, their genuine surprise at the audience support and reaction was really heartwarming. Brian’s comment early on in the show, “holy shit! turn on the lights!”, referring to the packed house there to see them seemed pretty funny, since I see them as the most well-known of the Eastside L.A. bands, and songs like “Substitution” and “Panic Switch” get quite a bit of airplay on the alternative rock stations. He went on to say “We haven’t been here before, sorry about that” (I’m guessing after that reception, they’ll most certainly be back).

Chris Guanlao’s drumming was explosive and powerful, and Joe Lester on keyboards gave the impression of a ‘mad professor’ in his appearance and the sonic results. When Brian started singing “Kissing Families”, he sang the wrong first verse, which got him some good-natured teasing from Nikki, and they started over. While the audience were wildly responsive and clapping/singing along throughout, this one really got everyone going with people literally jumping up and down at one point.

A spectacular end for the main set, with a very pretty melodic passage between Joe’s keyboards and Brian’s guitar for “Panic Switch”. Which then led into a blistering version of “Lazy Eye” where I have scribbled down “worked into a fucking frenzy” – and I believe I was referring to both the audience and the band. Other remembrances of mine include “guitar craziness” and “tribal drum intro” which must have been the final song of the evening, “Common Reactor” (from Carnavas).

A wonderful evening and hopefully SSPU’s next visit to the Northeast will include a Boston date! It most surely will include Hartford again, and for whatever I may say about the venue, as for the audience… WOW.

[SSPU are currently performing in Europe, England, Scotland and Ireland through mid-December.]

Winner, Best Venue - Northern Lights, in a strip mall in Clifton Park, between a dollar store and a church (yes, that's right, a church in a strip mall).

I liked everything about this place, including their no-frills, kitschy sign.

I had a feeling this would be a very special show, since 1) it’s the first time they played in upstate New York; 2) Northern Lights is a very low-key venue up past Albany; and 3) The Parson Red Heads happened to be playing some NYC shows and were added to the bill. I knew this was one not to be missed.

As Airborne gets more popular and draws bigger audiences, these occasional smaller gigs in out-of-the-way places will become these special gifts (they already are). I hope they always continue to do them, because it’s so incredibly important to maintain a balance and a sense of connection.

Though you wouldn’t guess it from the outside, Northern Lights is a wonderful, charmingly divey, and relatively small venue. Not enough room for the full set, so no screens or stairs; just the backdrop. A more basic, stripped-down show, more intimate, so nice. What you gave up in fancy lighting and stage design you gained tenfold in intimacy and warmth. There was this feeling of hanging out in someone’s living room with close friends, like an amazing ‘family reunion’. While you could still hear some folks in the back talking over the quieter songs, the audience was generally very attentive and appreciative, which Mikel made a note of at the end – “I don’t usually say this to audiences, but you guys are the best fucking audience”.

The Parson Red Heads

Brette Way and Sam Fowles of The Parson Red Heads

I was so excited when I first learned that these guys would be performing this one show with their good friends. As someone who is often bummed to hear about all the amazing lineups of great, great bands at clubs like Spaceland or the Echo in Los Angeles (stuck on the East Coast as I am), this was the most marvelous surprise. The Parsons tonight consisted of three of the core six (and, from what I understand, often up to twelve at their live performances) – Evan and Brette Marie Way, and Sam Fowles – playing some of the prettiest music I have ever heard. Folksy, softly psychedelic and full of California sunshine on this chilly upstate New York autumn evening, they played semi-acoustic versions of their upbeat and heartwarming songs, with incredibly lovely guitar from Evan and Sam, shaker/maraca and some very nice harmonica from Brette, and gorgeous vocal harmonies from all three, strongly reminiscent of CSN&Y and The Byrds. They set the mood for what would be a delightfully relaxed (and relaxing) evening of good times and great music. After NYC’s edginess and intensity, I was so looking forward to a laid back and informal evening with some of my favorite bands – and The Parson Red Heads provided the perfect apéritif.

Evan Way of The Parson Red Heads

Their set began with “Knew A Young Girl” (from their Orangufang single), and then “Jenny” (written by Evan a few years ago, which they used to perform in a side-project band called The Ghost Kings), with great harmonica from Brette. It has the wonderful line, “go right up to the ones that hurt you, tell them you love them.” Their set also included “Hold On”, a song that Evan recorded for an upcoming solo album, which the band decided worked well for their trio. [Thank you, Sam, for the info.!]

They also played “Out To Sea” and “Don’t Hold Back” (both from Owl & Timber).

“Don’t Hold Back”

They finished up with “Burning Up The Sky” from Field Mouse Carnival, and my notes say “lovely, lovely, lovely!”. They may have performed something from King Giraffe as well; not entirely sure now. Before “Don’t Hold Back”, Evan asked the guy at the soundboard “do we have time for two more?”, to which a familiar voice from behind me answered, “take all the time you need, Evan” (it was Mikel, enjoying the set as part of their appreciative audience).

Red Cortez

Yet another dynamic and powerful set from Red Cortez. These guys are truly amazing, Harley Prechtel-Cortez is the consummate frontman, and I predict big things for them in the coming new year. I’ve recently learned that one of my favorite songs they’ve been performing, “Western Front” is indeed a new track, so that bodes very well indeed.

Pretty much everyone from Parson Red Heads and The Henry Clay People were up onstage for a rousing rendition of “Old Man Jude”. One hell of a great live song, it includes the refrain “I’m not dead, you’re not dead, oh no”. No indeed!

“Old Man Jude”

The Henry Clay People

Do these guys really need an excuse for a party? No, I don’t think so. After Joey proudly announced, “we had too much to drink backstage” (and I should point out that “backstage” was the strip mall’s back lot where trucks unload), they went on to do what I thought was a rollicking good set. They played pretty much their usual set on this tour (songs from For Cheap Or For Free plus newer tunes like “Switch Kids” and “Randy, Where’s The Rest Of Me”), and they also included a song which may or may not be titled “Saturday Night”. The wistful ‘Randy..’, about going out on the road and leaving friends and loved ones behind, Joey introduced with “this is for my dog”.

Is it just me, or does Andy look like an evangelist in this photo?

More words of love for Jordan’s keyboard playing, as we were treated to a delightful vaudevillian honky-tonk piano before my fave “This Ain’t A Scene” – perfectly apt for the occasion.

We got a different closing song this time. Instead of the usual “Bang A Gong” (audiences always chose T.Rex over Jackson Browne; must be an East Coast/West Coast thing), they did Tom Petty’s “Listen To Her Heart”, which I enjoyed far more than the original, and which The Parson Red Heads came up to join in on.

Wow... ferocious!

I’m thinking now it was during “Something In The Water” (The Parson Red Heads must have been onstage for that one as well? All is rather hazy now…) I was grooving along and snapping away and the scene got pretty crazy, including Andy falling from or over an amp at the back of the stage – which definitely wasn’t part of the choreography! Evan wandered over to make sure he was ok, as he lied on the floor – continuing to play, I might add.

Sadly, I didn't get video of Andy's pratfall, but this photo must have been taken immediately afterwards.

Everyone 'bringing it down low' (but apparently they forgot to tell Sam)

Did I mention it was a pretty loose evening?

The Airborne Toxic Event

This glorious love fest continued with a truly stellar set from Airborne Tox. I was already feeling pretty emotional to be in such a nice, relaxed place with a roomful of very appreciative, enthusiastic fans. It was the first time they’ve played in upstate NY, so people were really excited to see them. From my informal “interviews”, most were seeing Airborne for the first time, even though they’d been listening to their music for quite a while.

A huge musical treat was a song written for The Parson Red Heads, which Mikel explained they would be performing for the first – and only – time that night. A very sweet tribute to their good friends, it’s a soft, pretty song very much in the style of the Parsons’ own material. It speaks of a simpler time, and memories of childhood. I think it’s about belief as well. Really, really nice.

For the second time, I heard “This Losing” with that great, angsty and desperate “alternate ending”.

“This Is Nowhere” was preceded with a special introduction in which Mikel name-dropped a lot of really awesome Silverlake-area bands. A great and especially memorable rendition this night.

Mikel’s beautiful new song about being out on the road was performed again (the first time was at the 2nd NYC show), with just Anna providing exquisite viola accompaniment. I usually avoid transcribing lyrics, as I almost always embarrass myself by getting half of them wrong, but I’ll make a valiant attempt in this case (see below). It’s harrowing, poignant and incredibly lovely; about being cut off from family and friends, and fighting personal demons. I sincerely hope this makes it onto their second album – along with the (correct) lyrics.

“Untitled”

Instead of Jim Carroll’s “People Who Died”, another wonderful surprise for the encore: Nirvana’s “All Apologies”, with Mikel saying that it was his first time singing the song, and they hadn’t rehearsed it. Deeply moving and quite beautiful, Mikel’s comment afterward pretty much summed up my feelings as well – “that was fucking emotional”.

“All Apologies”

An especially communal and celebratory version of “Missy” included a softly sung chorus of 500. What an amazing evening.

~~~~~~~~~

Untitled

["This is a song about being on tour, and you've been gone and away from your home for like two years. And then like, everything... when you go home, you're like a different person, and you don't know people, and they don't know you." - Mikel]

I’ve been away for far too long,
I’ve been (??) this one song
I heard last week on the radio
driving near that place we used to go.

The traffic(?) all looked the same
with the roofs, and the tires, and the ?? frames
and the streets are so wide and the cars are so lame
and on every block I hear the whisper of your name.

I spent many evenings in my head
lying alone on an unmade bed
counting the minutes on the numbered clock
should I call, should I write, should I reach out for someone?

I’m a child, I’m a ghost, I’m a sinner, I’m a boast,
I’m a prince, I’m a king, I’m a rhyme, I’m a ring,
I’m unable to sleep, I’m unable to sing,
I’m a desperate, lonely, frightened unholy thing.

And you say, “la la, I’m so glad I’m over you”.
as you reach for your drink, and you tell me you like my shoes.
And I smile like a wretch, there’s not much more I can do
Yeah I know what you mean; yeah it’s weird for me too
at least that’s what I would say, if I had you.

And then it sounds something like this…
La la la, la la la la la la
la la la, la la la la la la
la la la la, la la la la
la la, la la la la.

I think maybe it was Radiohead
it had a sweet little beat and a keyboard that said
the tall plain chords (?)
I remember how bored you’d get with those bands that you said
played the same three chords.

And you’d dance all around in your tshirt and sing
don’t you love Modest Mouse and (??)
don’t you wish that you could just avoid everything
join a band, go on tour, and think of me when you sing.

And I think, la la la, yeah that sounds ok to me
and you’d fall out of bed, and I fell down to my knees
and I’d smile like my life depended on it
it’s so weird that I was mostly right about that
I was eager to love, and eager to leave.

La la, la la la la la la
la la la, la la la la la la
la la la, la la, la la la, la la
la la, la la la la.
La la.

And I think, la la, these songs are so untrue
as I stare at this strange side of you
and I don’t belong, and it’s oh so wrong
and you’re beautiful with that gray scarf on
I think yeah ok, well maybe it’s just the song
and I miss you, but it might just be the song.

~~~~~~~~~

Shout-outs to a few people I met before the show – Sean and Scott from Boston; and Nancy, who was dropping her daughter and her friend off at the show. Her son, Kyle, wanted badly to see the show, but got very ill. Daren came out to say hello, and she told him about Kyle, asking if maybe he could get an autograph to make up for having to miss the show. Daren came back with a poster fully signed by everyone.

Never mind the CD... can you sign my sneaker?

The drive back from Albany to Boston just after midnight went, for the most part, without incident (3-1/2 hours, for those of you who were wondering). That is, except for almost running over a coyote somewhere on the Mass. Pike in Western MA. I said almost. And no, it wasn’t a raccoon. Most certainly not a possum. Definitely not a hedgehog, nor a deer, nor a fox; and positively not a squirrel. It was, I’ll put it this way, a large dog. But not a dog. Kind of beige, though I was semi-comatose at the time. I swerved as he came to a fast stop a foot from my right front tire, and he lived to howl another day.

Also up on YouTube:

(The Parson Red Heads):

“Out To Sea”

“Burning Up The Sky”

(Red Cortez):

“Waste Of Time”

“Western Front”

(The Henry Clay People):

“This Ain’t A Scene”

(The Airborne Toxic Event):

“This Magic Moment”

“The Parson Red Heads Song”

“This Losing”

“This Is Nowhere”

“A Letter To Georgia”

“All I Ever Wanted”

“Missy”

More photos will be uploaded to Flickr, eventually.

It’s October 16. I wake up for work and notice it is snowing. Not knowing how to react, I can only think of one possible thing… I am going to see The Airborne Toxic Event for the second time in a week tonight! I go to work, which couldn’t have gone any slower. Noon finally hits and I leave work.

Fast-forward 4 hours: We are the first in line outside Webster Hall. It is cold, but not snowing like it was in PA. Steven walks outside, and immediately notices us and comes over to chat. He mentions that they are going to change things up a bit tonight! We couldn’t be more excited. About 30 minutes later, Daren walks out. We say hi to him, but he is in a hurry to go pick up his shirt from the drycleaners.

They finally let us in, without any type of security check. Man I wish I would have brought a video camera. Red Cortez is first to come out, but act like the party has already started. They play the same set list from last weeks show, but I didn’t care because of the great music they play. About mid set the guitarist picks up his beer, takes a small sip, then flings the rest of it onto the crowd. I felt sorry for those people at the time, but this became the theme of the night and it seemed as if it was raining alcohol in the theater by the end of the night.

The Henry Clay People were up next, and didn’t waste any time setting up. No shoe kicking tonight though, as the stage was already wet from beer spilled by Red Cortez. Andy is running around the stage, and ends up on top of the keyboardists stool, about 5 ft in the air. The two brothers take turns hitting drum symbols, one hit which looked like it hurt pretty bad. At a point in their set Joey smacks the end of his guitar off of a symbol, kind of like an 80’s hair band. Before the last song, Joey mentions that they were recording a music video after the show, and gave an address of where fans could go to be in it. We would have gone but the 3.5 hr ride home was calling us. Not to mention I had to be at work at 9 am. No cover from T-Rex tonight, as Joey jokes with the crowd and says they cant play the same song two nights in a row. Instead, they do an energetic cover of All the Young Dudes from Mott the Hoople. They finish their set off with a toast, and walk off. Empty bottles and anything imaginable is being thrown around.

The lights dim, and the crowd goes crazy! Before you know it Daren is up on his throne banging away at the drums. The bass is so loud that a bottle of water that is sitting on the stage is knocked over. I’m not sure if it was because of the loud thumping or the sheer excitement of seeing the best band in the world, but the hair on my arms was standing on end. The first four songs are the same, then they play an oldie but goodie “Girls in Their Summer Dresses.” After three more songs, they then move into the acoustic part of the set. I knew this was going to be good due to the fact that I had a microphone in front of my face for the whole first part of the set! Mikel sits on the stage right in front of us, and notices Matt, and shakes his hand. He then mentions a new song, and not knowing if it was going to work or not, but they were going to give it a try. Anna is standing behind Mikel, playing her viola and singing backup. The song is amazing. I couldn’t find a name for it, and from what I could tell the band hadn’t either, as it was listed as “untitled” on the set list. “Wishing Well” followed, but I did not record this one. I’m soo sorry Mikel for forcing my camera in your face for the whole song. I never record shows due to the fact that I paid money, and the people on YouTube didn’t. It’s something you have to experience for yourself. It was a special request from Julie because she was unable to attend the show. [and I think this worked out very well, don’t you? I got my close-up video of Mikel singing this lovely song, and you were the obnoxious jerk with the camera in his face... - J]

Following the acoustic set a man yelled that he wanted his $20 worth, thinking that the show was over. The comment was ignored, and shortly after came “Sometime Around Midnight.” During one of the next songs Mikel walked over and grabbed Noah’s beer, and proceeded to drink almost all of it. Two seconds later the sound guy runs out on stage with a fresh beer and gives it to Mikel! Oh the small details you notice when you are standing in the front! (Not to mention the fake dog poop that is on Mikel’s pedal board!) The final song they play is “Innocence.” It ends with Anna, Noah and Mikel standing on top of the monitors, and jumping to the ground.

They run off stage, and of course you know more is coming when the sound guys come out and tune and wipe off guitars. Daren is the first back out, holding a drink in both hands. He makes a toast and finishes one drink, then climbs the steps to his drums, and places his other drink in a cup holder on one of his cymbal stands! He begins to play, and almost the same as the beginning of the set, they layer on top of each other until the chords for “Happiness is Overrated” merge. The crowd sings the opening lyrics, then Mikel pauses, and says that we were much better than Denver. “I’m just saying, you guys are better than Denver. Fuck Denver! I just wanted to say fuck Denver!” [hopefully he never forgets where they're playing - J] For the first time I witnessed Steven singing. He poked over Noah’s shoulder and was helping to sing the chorus. The next song was up, and Mikel invites everyone out to the stage. This is where everything goes crazy!

It could have been the fact that that they were covering “People Who Died”, or possibly because there were about 20 people on stage, or maybe it was because they had been drinking the whole night… Things went haywire. Bass drums and beer, bottles, tambourines, earrings, bodies, guitars and whiskey covered the stage. Alcohol was everywhere, the crowd was out of control, the floor felt like it was going to cave in, everyone was pushing to the front, and from the looks of it Mikel felt it would be safer in the crowd.. I don’t think anywhere was safe. At some point Anna came over and gave me a high five, and then held her drink above me and began to pour. Looks like my wool coat needs to go to the drycleaners, but who cares? Jamison (or what the crowd thought was Jamison) was thrown everywhere. Joey from HCP almost fell off the stage, but we were there to save him from death. The end of the lyrics came, and everyone on stage was jumping up and down. The dust finally settled, and everything was soaked, as well as empty bottles on stage.

Everyone thought this was the end of the show, but to their surprise, TATE was going to play one more. You could tell that during the first few lines that they were still exhausted from the previous chaos. It ended up just as energetic as “People Who Died”, with Anna laying on top of one of the monitors, and Noah and Mikel on top of the other one. Mikel thanks the crowd, calls out the guy who made the comment about getting his moneys worth “for the guy who wanted his $20 worth, meet me outside after the show”. He says the guy standing at the bar bought tickets to the wrong show; they should have gone to see Coldplay. Calls me the dude who records all the videos for YouTube, and then finishes the song! What a show!

We stuck around afterwards for a little bit hoping they would come back out. We picked up a set list, and begged Blake the sound man for the empty bottle of Jamison. They never came back out, but after the stunts they pulled it was probably a good thing. We wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt! We got the bottle signed by some of the HCP as well as Red Cortez. They told us how they drank it all before the cover, then filled it up with water to bring out on stage. “Mikel asked if he could have some on stage.. I just looked at him and said if you want to I guess. He took a sip and realized it was water and began throwing it around.”

The Henry Clay People doing pushups after the show!

We left NYC around 11:30, and got home around 2:30 am. Work the next day was soooooo much fun! Thanks to Red Cortez, The Henry Clay People, and The Airborne Toxic Event for an amazing night! I am looking forward to the next time we meet!

Intro
Does This Mean your Moving On
Magic Moment
Gasoline
Echo Park
Girls in Their Summer Dresses
Papillon
This is Nowhere

ACOUSTIC
“Untitled”
Wishing Well

Sometime Around Midnight
Goodbye Horses
All I Ever Wanted
Innocence

ENCORE
Happiness is Overrated
People Who Died
Missy

As unlikely a venue as you're likely to find for such a transcendent evening.

[my seven shows also included Built To Spill @ The Middle East in there somewhere, as well as Happy Hollows @ T.T. The Bear's in Cambridge (awesome!!), and Silversun Pickups with Cage The Elephant and An Horse at the Webster Theater in Hartford (crazy, and awesome). Those are 'on the way' as well. I'll be going chronologically, continuing where (I think) I left off, with Airborne Tox in NYC, night #1, so keep checking back!]

The Parson Red Heads – “Burning Up The Sky”

(with Daren from Airborne Tox on percussion)

Red Cortez – “Old Man Jude”

(with buddies from Parson Red Heads and The Henry Clay People)

The Henry Clay People – “This Ain’t A Scene”

The Airborne Toxic Event – “(Parson Red Heads song)”

A song they wrote for the Parson Red Heads, first (and only) time performed.

In an interview at the Reading/Leeds Festival, Mikel joked about performing on Mars (as in, one of the few places they haven’t been yet). With how I felt by the end of this epic evening, though it wasn’t Mars, it may have been a nearby galaxy.

Red Cortez

I was really looking forward to seeing these guys, based on all the excited “tweets” of concertgoers on this tour, and I now see what the buzz is all about. Man, they’re incredible! Harley Prechtel-Cortez is an amazing and charismatic frontman with a beautiful voice. Along with fellow bandmates Ryan Kirkpatrick on bass, Diego Guerrero on drums and percussion, and Calvin J. Love on guitar and keyboards, they are just explosive and extremely engaging. I previously profiled them, and discovered music that was bluesy and rootsy, Latin-tinged garage rock with a punk rock attitude and poetic lyrics. Live this all comes across quite strongly and is very impressive.

In addition to singing with incredible passion and prowling around the stage, Harley engaged the audience between songs and it was obvious how excited they are to be touring, and grateful for what was a very positive audience reaction. Clearly everyone had gotten there early to check out these two brilliant bands from Silverlake. This isn’t always the case for opening bands, so I was delighted to see it. Especially funny – “this is a new song, doesn’t matter, you don’t know who the fuck we are” – which got everyone laughing. But you know what? I’m pretty certain everyone who was there that night is going to make a point of finding out.

The Henry Clay People

Every bit as good as ever, I already know how much fun The Henry Clay People are going to be, so apart from dancing and singing along to my faves, I’m looking around, anxious to see what everyone else thinks – especially the “HCP virgins”. One word for the crowd tonight: magnificent. You never really know how a band is going to come across, but the crowd this night just “got it”, and partied along, enjoying the camaraderie and humor.

HCP performed some songs from their latest (and wonderful) album For Cheap Or For Free, plus four new ones – “The Switch Kids” (written for fellow Eastside L.A. band Le Switch), “End Of An Empire”, “Keep Your Eyes Closed”, and the especially beautiful and poignant “Randy, Where’s The Rest Of Me?”, a song written about touring and missing one’s home. This is well on its way to becoming a favorite HCP tune of mine. You can hear these new songs on HearYa.

The loose and crazy “Andy Sings!” became looser and crazier when, mid-song, Joey got lost in the moment and did an emphatic kick, his sneaker flying clear across the stage (I’ll have to believe that was not part of the choreography). Hilarious, and so very Henry Clay People-ish.

I also need to say how much I enjoyed Jordan, their new keyboard player (who had just recently quit his job to join the tour). He’s just awesome, and I scribbled down ‘beauty of a Beethoven-worthy piano solo’ before “This Ain’t A Scene”.

And speaking of “This Ain’t A Scene”, during that wonderful song (one of my faves) Mike kicked right through his bass drum, resulting in a mad scramble on stage to replace it (with Blake and Daren lending assistance). Joey and Andy (who I think must have been a Vaudeville act in a recent past life) rose to the occasion, with Jonathan and Jordan nimbly following suit. Well, one is tempted to say that the Henry Clays live for such moments, or at least dare them to happen, what with their just on the edge of falling apart stage persona. While the drum set was being fixed, we were treated to a rollicking (and drumless) version of Springsteen’s “Thunder Road”. The audience loved it.

The Airborne Toxic Event

Justin and Blake make sure everything is just right...

Excitement builds in the Trocadero as the stage is set. As has been the case for a while now, they begin with an instrumental introduction, starting with Daren laying down a hypnotic, tribal drumbeat. From there each band member comes out separately and joins in. I really loved this when they first started doing it earlier in the year. Now it’s even better, in complete darkness with the new video screens and spotlit raised drum set and backdrop. Stark, rather eerie and very dramatic. The swirling, moody intro. envelops, and then gives way to “Does This Mean You’re Moving On?” Odd to hear this first instead of last, but it works really well as the opening song, bursting out like an impatient horse from its gate. As one of the original ‘pre-release’ songs available on iTunes, I have to say this is probably the first Airborne song that I really took notice of and could not get out of my head, so it’s appropriate to start things off with something so fondly familiar.

I’ll admit, when I first heard about the new stage set, video screens, and choreographed lighting, I was skeptical. Though I enjoy theater, I usually prefer my rock bands with minimal production, both musically and visually. Especially with Airborne, loving their music and Mikel’s lyrics as I do, I tend to be a purist. Having said that, I thought the new stage design turned everything up a notch and made for an uber-dramatic and highly emotional presentation. The video screens, lit backdrop and choreographed lighting created some really interesting and sometimes quite beautiful visuals.

The ‘first act’ included “This Losing” (love this song, always will) and two new covers – The Drifters’ “This Magic Moment”, surprising and fantastic, and Yo La Tengo’s “Sugarcube” (lovely).

The addition of the acoustic set midway through was brilliant, and is the answer to many fans’ prayers, all those whom, like myself, have been enjoying Airborne’s acoustic video series. Tonight we got “A Letter To Georgia” and “Wishing Well” (sometimes the Magnetic Fields cover, “The Book Of Love” is included as well), and it was just gorgeous, with Noah on his upright bass, Daren with a single snare, and Steven on piano.

I thought the contrast between the awesome visual effect of the screens and lighting, and then the very minimalist and basic acoustic set in the middle of the evening was stunning. You’re swept up in this emotional maelstrom; songs that are like close friends are seen in a new light (literally), intriguing and powerful with silhouettes and shadows and a variety of hues. Daren at his drum kit, perched high above the proceedings as the heartbeat of the band, and appropriately the visual focal point as well, with white spotlights illuminating him and the backdrop. What is the meaning of the blindfolded audience, I wonder? Mikel, Noah, Steven and Anna move around the stage below him, at times at the edge of the stage interacting with the audience; at other times silhouetted against the video screens, or playing off each other. Each song becomes a vignette in a complex and elaborate sort of rock musical, with powerful white flashes exploding at climactic moments. Truly breathtaking.

The rest of the main set followed, which included major crowd singalong, of course, “Sometime Around Midnight”, the William Garvey song, “Goodbye Horses” (now a much-loved standard as a tribute to the songwriter), “All I Ever Wanted” (inspired by the Milan Kundera short story “The Hitchhiking Game”), and the very beautiful long version of “Innocence”.

The encore included a song they started performing soon after the passing of musician and poet Jim Carroll, his classic “People Who Died”. A great version which included members of Red Cortez joining in.

A choreographed show, when done properly and in service of the music as this one clearly was, is incredibly powerful and adds to the emotional experience. But there’s also value in the unplanned and unexpected. Fate took a hand Saturday night, perhaps to point out that while an orchestrated production can be quite beautiful, sometimes it’s good to get back to basics. One never wants things to go wrong, but it’s the sign of a true artist who is unfazed when events don’t quite go as planned, not only coping, but grabbing those mishaps around the neck and shaking them with mad glee, turning them into those magical, transcendent moments.

First there was the HCP bass drum incident. And for Airborne, this came at the start of the final song. Mikel’s Gretsch suddenly cuts out, so he switched to his trusty Jaguar, but nope, turns out it was the amp. Unflustered, he grabs the mic and, saying something about doing “an acappella version”, he first starts singing “Missy” sitting on the edge of the stage, and it turns into an absolutely searing version, with him standing on a step at the barrier and the audience going completely nuts. It was the perfect way to end such a mind-blowing night. Just as good as anything they could have planned — and perhaps even better.

Intro
Does This Mean You’re Moving On
Something New
This Magic Moment
Gasoline
Sugarcube
This Losing
Papillon
This Is Nowhere

(Acoustic set)
Letter To Georgia
Wishing Well

Sometime Around Midnight
Goodbye Horses
All I Ever Wanted
Innocence

(Encore)
Happiness Is Overrated
People Who Died
Missy

Other videos up on YouTube:
(The Henry Clay People):
“Bang A Gong (Get It On)” (T. Rex)

(The Airborne Toxic Event):
“Sugarcube”
“This Losing”
“Wishing Well”
“All I Ever Wanted”

More photos to be uploaded to Flickr, in time…

Ok, so technically this isn’t a show preview, because they’re not coming to Boston, and the closest they’ll be is a 2+ hour drive away near Albany (I’ll let you know what it ends up being). But I thought I would mention The Parson Red Heads and their East Coast visit, as they’re a great band I’ve been enjoying for a little while now. They have a lovely psychedelic and folky, upbeat sound with delightful harmonies, reminiscent of bands such as The Byrds, Big Star, CSN&Y, The Kinks, Fairport Convention, and Wilco.

Part of the East L.A. crowd (who would’ve guessed?), they first moved to Los Angeles from Oregon in 2005, and have played residencies at the notable clubs there – Silver Lake Lounge, The Echo and Spaceland. They released their Field Mouse Carnival EP and debut album King Giraffe in 2007, the Owl & Timber EP in 2008, and the Orangufang limited edition 7″ on JAXART Records in April of this year. They also have two live CDs out (Spaceland and The Echo), both on the very cool Spaceland Recordings label, which you can get directly from them.

Their current line-up, best as I can tell (as this is from their official site, the bio. which stops just before May ’08’s release of their EP Owl & Timber ) includes: Evan Way (vocals, guitar), Brette Marie Way (drums, vocals), Erin Way (keyboards, vocals), Samuel Fowles (guitar, vocals) and David Swensen (bass, vocals), with the occasional help of Raymond Richards (pedal steel, guitar), Jason Wrightsman (tambourine), and Aaron Ballard (guitar, storytelling).

Groupee Session

Parson Red Heads East Coast Tour

Oct 9 ~ 8:00P ~ The Court Tavern w/ Roadside Graves ~ New Brunswick, New Jersey
Oct 10 ~ 8:00P ~ The Lit Lounge w/ Roadside Graves ~ New York, New York
Oct 11 ~ 8:00P ~ The Raconteur w/ Roadside Graves ~ Metuchen, New Jersey
Oct 12 ~ 8:00P ~ Googies Lounge w/ Linda Draper ~ New York, New York
Oct 13 ~ 8:00P ~ Union Hall w/ Ladybug Transistor & Hymns ~ Brooklyn, New York
Oct 14 ~ 7:00P ~ Arlene’s Grocery – 7pm set! ~ New York, New York
Oct 15 ~ 8:00P ~ Northeast Kingdom w/ Brittain Ashford ~ Brooklyn, New York
Oct 16 ~ 8:00P ~ The M Room w/ Roadside Graves, Blood Feathers, Cotton Jones ~ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 17 ~ 8:00P ~ NORTHERN LIGHTS w/ AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT, HENRY CLAY PEOPLE, RED CORTEZ ~ Albany, New York

MySpace | Official site