Filed under: TC Daily Planet
(Originally posted in TC Daily Planet and archived here)
Last night I went to a revival meeting. It was unusual because there wasn’t a lot of praying and there wasn’t a lot of God but there was so much joy and music and dancing. That joy emanated from JJ Grey and Mofro as they played the Varsity Theater.
Grey is the preacher who drives the service through a range of emotions, who tells the tales of “Orange Blossoms”, “Sweetest Thing” (for his daughter) and leads us to “Brighter Days” after we survive “99 Shades of Crazy”. His voice is a little gravelly and very southern; sometimes soulful sometimes southern rock. There’s something churchy about a southern accent to me; Grey hails from Jacksonville, Florida. He plays jubilant instruments such as the tambourine as well as guitar and he is surrounded by musicians who appear to love what they do.
I see a lot of music that’s straight up loud. These guys had a sneaky loudness that comes from having so many people on stage – all so good at what they do. Throughout the night each musician got an opportunity to shine and they all did.
There’s a very cool horn/woodwind section with a trumpet and a saxophone. They brought exaltation to the sound. The Waterboys have line about “your love feels like trumpets sound”; I think they wrote it after hearing Mofro. The drummer was as much fun to watch and to hear – just the expressions and the content that shone through as he riffed with the bass player and Grey. The bass player held the same smile throughout the show. His playing was understated; he rose to the occasion when necessary otherwise he quietly kept the flow going. Of course the organ brought me right back to the church feel, although to a much cooler church than I have ever attended because it was more Hammond organ than pipe organ. The guitar player looked and sounded a little bit like he could step right on stage with Southern Culture on the Skids – which means more psychobilly and is high praise in my book.
They have a Southern sound – but swampy, not desert. I’ve spent very little time in that part of the world but Grey paints a picture of Southern life in his songs that makes you feel like you understand or at least you’d testify!
Filed under: TC Daily Planet
(Originally posted in TC Daily Planet and archived here)
Lily Allen is pop. I guess I wasn’t quite ready to admit that until I saw her live at the Skyway Theatre on Wednesday night because her lyrics are clever and her music hold hints of deeper roots but the staging, costumes and audience all scream pop.
Lily Allen is also cute as button and has a voice that curls up at the corner like a smile. And you know how a smile just makes someone that much more attractive, well the curl in her voice makes her strong and clear tones that much more interesting.
But back to the pop. The stage was set up like a big Target-Center-type show with giant plastic baby bottles everywhere, a nod to Allen’s reason for staying home for a few years. Her chatter between songs spoke nearly as much to her children and her husband (who she is meeting on Thursday after a two weeks apart) as her music. It added a quirky, family dimension to the poppiness that countered Allen’s raunchies comments and British flare for swearing. (I’m a fan of British cussing!) Allen had a few costume changes – from sequenced shorts and leathery bra to a neon orange and yellow cat suit including ears and tail, which she claimed she bought in a stripper shop for $24.99.
Not just everybody puts on a skin tight cat-suit after a maternity hiatus – and few could pull it off as well. The ridiculousness of the outfit punctuated her humorous side. She has a team of dancers who are throwbacks to In Living Color’s Fly Girls. They came out for the encore wearing dog masks for “Hard out Here” (for a Bitch). The humor was over the top and subtle as the same time. The best moment for me was when the mic stand wouldn’t work and she observed with a squeaky-cute voice that she couldn’t work it, her hands were sweaty and shouted for the man who works the mic stand. She’s not afraid on stage or in her music to be clever at the risk being mistaken for taking herself too seriously.
She played a wide range of songs, starting with “Sheesuz” and reaching back to “Not Fair;” she played favorites such as “The Fear” and “Fuck You.” The crowd loved her in an everyone-in-the-room-has-a-crush way. Lots of “I love you” or “I have those shorts” from the audience. Although aside from a love of Lily the audience was pretty all over the place – lots of young people, plenty of older people. Men and women. The horrifically inebriated, the sober. (Saw one girl do a header down the stairs on my way in; I don’t think she’ll remember it, but she’s going feel it!)
Overall I enjoyed the show; I’m not going to sign up for a dozen more pop shows anytime soon but I’d see her again.
Filed under: TC Daily Planet
(Originally posted in the TC Daily Planet now archived here)
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MN Music On-A-Stick on Saturday, Aug. 30was a celebration of the great variety and quality of local music we have in Minnesota. Hosted by The Current, one of the most astute observations came from Mark Wheat when he noted that all but one of these bands (Bob Mould) has emerged since The Current went on air in 2005. The Current has been a force to promote local bands–from Americana to Hip Hop and we saw it all on stage.
Cactus Blossoms started the show. The crowd was still drifting in but there were dedicated music fans sitting and waiting under the stage for the show to start. There’s not much I can say about a band I saw two days earlier. They started with Stoplight Kissing, the played the Buffalo Song and they do a nice job with compelling song introductions. I enjoy their music and I like to see the Bluegrass, Americana sound getting a larger audience.
Best surprise of the night came when Lizzo played with Harmar Superstar. That was a match made in musical heaven. They both have powerful voices and even more powerful personalities on stage. They played off each other well. Baby You Shot me was a crowd pleaser. It was fun to see folks hear his music for the first time, with songs like DUI and Don’t Make Me Hit You. The disappointment of the night? Harmar kept his pants on!
Cloud Cult was up next. They play music that gives you goose bumps – whether you know their sad stories or not. (Losing a child and I learned last night a history of ALS.) Craig Minowa’s voice ranges from electronica sounding to soulful. The violin, the French horn, the keyboards–so many instruments that sound so crystal and pure. Going to see them is like seeing a play–from the highs of a song like Good Friend to the bittersweet sound of Pretty Voice. They have a following like no other band I’ve seen. Audience members in tears and a reverent silence usually reserved for sleeping babies or hometown free throws.
Bob Mould took the stage and played a couple of Husker Du songs – and I was there with high school friends. We would have heard I Apologize on a good Saturday night back in the day. That made my night! He just kicked it. There were touches of the fast strings and hard dancing. He has aged so well–and he drew in old folks like me and the younger crowd who were really there to see Doomtree and Brother Ali.
Doomtree Collective stormed the stage with intensity and a crazy amount of energy. I am a fan of Dessa – as much for her astute interviewing as her music; otherwise I hadn’t heard a lot of Doomtree. I like Hip Hop when I hear it but I don’t pursue it. When I hear a song like Little Mercy and I wonder why I don’t. One thing that really struck me was how well Doomtree interacts with the audience in the social media/smartphone era. The jumping, the posing, working all corners of the stage gets everyone excited and produces some great Instagram moments.
Brother Ali brought his Muslim hip hop dancers with him. I saw them first at a Lowertown Line show; they impressed me then but I think their moves are even better now. I enjoy Brother Ali as much for his interest in politics and religion as for the music. It seems odd to say I like a song like Murder, Murder, Murder, Kill, Kill, Kill but I do. I l like the heavy beats. He’s found a powerful way to bring his message to a new audience.
All in all a great night–worth standing on asphalt for seven hours!
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