On Monday, November 15, 2010 at The Great American Music Hall I went to a benefit show for Jeff Jacobs a recently injured member of the San Francisco based band The Drift. Originally I was drawn to this show because Explosions in the Sky, a band I have wanted to see for a long time, was playing. Yet the band that peaked my interest was the openers, The Drift.
Three men stood on stage and create a beautiful symphony of expression leaving space for their fallen member. Precise and careful The Drift painted pictures with guitar, base and drums. Like the jazz musicians that came before, their songs seem to never end flowing from one to the other. The musicians closed their eyes and breathed deep, they sat inside the music engulfed in the flames of each note. What impressed me most was their ability to make choices. They had a certain level of simplicity in their music at times that was breathtaking. Of course you could hear a heavy jazz and indie influence but the sound is so layered and unique to them that it’s difficult to single out specific influences.
I couldn’t help but ask myself if we have entered a place musically that Bach, Mozart, and composers a like only dreamed of? A place where musicians tell stories with their instruments and not their lyrics. We see this with bands like Four Tet, Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, God Speed! You Black Emperor (just to name a few) that choose to express themselves with an emphasis in instrumental scores rather then catchy pop lyrics. This is also seen with the increasing popularity of electronic music, even if sometimes the story expressed is to simply dance. Like the old saying, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Well, if you can’t write lyrics or don’t deem it necessary then don’t. Not everyone is a lyrical poet but at the same time not everyone can create sweeping musical movements like these bands can.
Standing there watching, The Drift, I was reminded not only of why I love music but mostly why I love seeing live shows. The space between musician and fan becomes filled with sound soaked deep into the walls, into our pores, consuming everything it comes into contact with. Music becomes the ultimate form of expression transcending all other forms of storytelling. We fill the void between space with experience and the tunes take flight.
Since the beginning of time humans gathered to tell stories: to chant, to dance. Around a fire we bellowed into the night discovering that we could make “music.” Somehow in the age of Internet we have lost this desire or perhaps we begun losing this many moons ago. Now satisfaction can come from downloading a performance on an iphone. And hey that gets people listening but it’s not just noise, it’s not just sound bites. It’s art. It’s storytelling. It’s tribal. The experience you have when seeing music live is like nothing else. Your imagination begins to soar as you watch artists bare their souls in a dingy, dark theater. With beer spilling on your shoes and the smell of sweat, you stare into the abyss and you are not only viewing the creation of art you are apart of it. Human connection has been made and you might as well be around that fire from whence it all began. This is why live music can and will never be replaced. This is why it survived and continues to thrive. This is why music is art. This is why we love music.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Live Music Review: Quasi and Sebadoh
The 90’s were alive on February 8th 2011 in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall. We gathered in our flannels, hoodies and uncanny indifference to watch Sebadoh with special guest Quasi. Together we tapped our feet, bent our knees, and waved our heads back and forth executing the minimal amount of effort. When people think of 90’s music the first thing that comes to mind is grunge and consequently Nirvana but there were many bands that came out of the days of the slacker. Bands such as Sonic Youth, Pavement, Built to Spill, Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh (just to name a few) gave way to the Indie explosion, influencing the likes of every hipster’s dream. So it only makes sense that these bands are able to tour now and bring in bigger crowds. Why were they not as mainstream in the 90’s? I can only speculate that they didn’t fit in the “suicidal” nirvana package.
Sebadoh, led by front man Lou Barlow, doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Although they have lines in their songs such as, “no one cares, cause no one should” and “It’s like wasting everything on someone else’s dream” they counter it with “but I tried to chase you down and I got tired” suggesting that its necessary to carry an uncanny laid back sense of humor which makes dealing with life a little more tolerable. Even in their performance you can see evidence of this credo. They laugh and make jokes, run around the stage like teenagers in a garage band. Sebadoh has an honestly and relaxation to their performance that is hard to find today in our media heavy society. It’s refreshing to just listen to a band play, no spectacle needed.
The set that evening was like going back in time. Most songs were played from the albums Harmacy and Bakesale, two great albums from the mid nineties. Most of the audience seemed to know every song. I found comfort in the sea of lip singing. I was amongst fans. And like most indie bands that came before and after the set started off slow but picked up as more beer was ingested as they sped through every song breaking for jam solos. The set was long but enjoyable. The highlight for me had to be when they played Drama Mine form Bakesale. I waited patiently for my favorite Sebadoh song to be played, holding in beer-induced pee to the point where if I moved I might have had an accident. And then when I thought I could wait no longer they busted it out. Needless to say all expectations were meet and I could pee a happy fan.
Now something must be said about the opening band, Quasi. They are a band that stayed under the radar of their sub culture counterparts Pavement and Sebadoh. They recently emerged proving why they are a favorite opening band choice for recent reunion tours. With a sound that combines indie power cords with fifties ballads and a killer rocksichord its amazing that this band didn’t surface sooner.
All three members are extremely talented and work well together. Bassist Joanna Bolme still enjoys the crazy antics of the front man Sam Coomes displays. Drummer Janet Weiss stays in control by telling ex-husband Coomes what instrument he will use next. They mostly play songs from their album Featuring “Birds” but tried overall to give a general ‘Intro to Quasi’ class for the audience, a smart move to get new listeners.
Already being a fan of Quasi I found it refreshing to see the total abandonment that Coomes displayed throughout the show. At the end of the set he began hitting the rocksichord and playing it with his feet and head just like Jerry Lee Lewis.
When people say the nineties are dead they most certainly have not been listening to good music. Bands that never left remind the majority that if it weren’t for their influences we wouldn’t have the rock ‘n roll we have today. In this case, however, they were preaching to the choir. Will opening for bands like Arcade Fire teach the new fans the history of Indie? Perhaps. But I think, for the most part, bands like Sebadoh like where they stand. And you know what? So do I.
Sebadoh, led by front man Lou Barlow, doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Although they have lines in their songs such as, “no one cares, cause no one should” and “It’s like wasting everything on someone else’s dream” they counter it with “but I tried to chase you down and I got tired” suggesting that its necessary to carry an uncanny laid back sense of humor which makes dealing with life a little more tolerable. Even in their performance you can see evidence of this credo. They laugh and make jokes, run around the stage like teenagers in a garage band. Sebadoh has an honestly and relaxation to their performance that is hard to find today in our media heavy society. It’s refreshing to just listen to a band play, no spectacle needed.
The set that evening was like going back in time. Most songs were played from the albums Harmacy and Bakesale, two great albums from the mid nineties. Most of the audience seemed to know every song. I found comfort in the sea of lip singing. I was amongst fans. And like most indie bands that came before and after the set started off slow but picked up as more beer was ingested as they sped through every song breaking for jam solos. The set was long but enjoyable. The highlight for me had to be when they played Drama Mine form Bakesale. I waited patiently for my favorite Sebadoh song to be played, holding in beer-induced pee to the point where if I moved I might have had an accident. And then when I thought I could wait no longer they busted it out. Needless to say all expectations were meet and I could pee a happy fan.
Now something must be said about the opening band, Quasi. They are a band that stayed under the radar of their sub culture counterparts Pavement and Sebadoh. They recently emerged proving why they are a favorite opening band choice for recent reunion tours. With a sound that combines indie power cords with fifties ballads and a killer rocksichord its amazing that this band didn’t surface sooner.
All three members are extremely talented and work well together. Bassist Joanna Bolme still enjoys the crazy antics of the front man Sam Coomes displays. Drummer Janet Weiss stays in control by telling ex-husband Coomes what instrument he will use next. They mostly play songs from their album Featuring “Birds” but tried overall to give a general ‘Intro to Quasi’ class for the audience, a smart move to get new listeners.
Already being a fan of Quasi I found it refreshing to see the total abandonment that Coomes displayed throughout the show. At the end of the set he began hitting the rocksichord and playing it with his feet and head just like Jerry Lee Lewis.
When people say the nineties are dead they most certainly have not been listening to good music. Bands that never left remind the majority that if it weren’t for their influences we wouldn’t have the rock ‘n roll we have today. In this case, however, they were preaching to the choir. Will opening for bands like Arcade Fire teach the new fans the history of Indie? Perhaps. But I think, for the most part, bands like Sebadoh like where they stand. And you know what? So do I.
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