Reviews of Flood Empty Lakes/Run Dan Run/The Explorers Club; Richard Thompson; Randy Newman
Flood Empty Lakes/Run Dan Run/The Explorers Club
April 4, 2009- The Village Tavern, Charleston, SC
Charleston, South Carolina's Flood Empty Lakes is not your typical rock band. Think of the jazzy/classical dynamics of early Athens scenesters Love Tractor, before vocals were added to their formula -- if Love Tractor were inspired by prog rock and European avant garde electronic music and the production sensibilities of Robin Guthrie. Instead of the Georgia countryside's kudzu and mud, think textured manhole covers and the stark, dark smoothness of a modern Berlin apartment. Now, instead of hearing such an act in a minimalist European nightclub filled with pale waifs in black sipping pouty cocktails, imagine hearing them in a small hole-in-the-wall bar with regular Southerners in baseball caps and Asics sneakers drinking draught beer on a Saturday night just outside of Charleston, South Carolina, and you have the experience. The band, four regular looking thirty-something guys, Nate Naylor on keyboards, Chuck Hamilton on bass, BJ Edmunds on guitar and Taylor Payne on drums, played a half-hour set covering their EP Union of Sound Minds, and this reviewer must say that the band has outgrown their release, as their chops have grown exponentially since recording it (the band is planning on re-releasing an updated version of the EP with new recordings). This listener's favorite song from their set, as well as from their EP, is the track "Strata Illuminata (part 1)", a musical journey of about 10 minutes that is headphone music for reflection, to be sure, on record, but live, the best thing to do is to simply be still and watch and listen and take it all in, as the stage, and four guys all very into their playing, take you tripping, sans drugs. I was impressed.
Upon returning to The Village Tavern (there was another band that played this night between Flood Empty Lakes and The Explorer's Club, Run Dan Run, but this reviewer had to leave the venue for a short time and missed their set) I caught The Explorers Club, and what a great Southern California 1966 evening it was, right there in 2009 South Carolina. This band, Charleston locals, has gained national attention with music in TV shows and movies and on satellite radio (Micky Dolenz of The Monkees has even gotten them to do the music on a couple of tracks on his new Carole King tribute album) and they do an excellent interpretation of Brian Wilson's signature sound, but it doesn't sound like plagiarism. It sounds like admiration and respect. Going on a year since hearing their debut, "Freedom Wind," I would say that the seven-piece are better now than they are on their record, and sound to these ears like they are in the process of discovering their musical voice (perhaps it is the same timbre as Brian Wilson's, but with a Southern accent?). The band played an excellent set that the crowd enjoyed, and how they got all that equipment up on that little bar stage with all of them, yet still managed to move and breathe, is truly amazing. They immediately draw you in, and when they opened with "Forever," (the first track on the LP) you simply must submit to the sugary innocent beauty, pay attention with your ears and heart, and smile (no pun intended). An excellent way to spend a Saturday night.
Mark Staples
Richard Thompson
October 28th, 2008- McCarter Theater, Princeton, NJ
This year McCarter Theater hosted a few performers who are folk, country or rock. Richard Thompson filled the rock and folk categories.
This show was originally scheduled for March, but was moved to October. It was worth the wait. Thompson played solo acoustic, and I have never seen anyone play an acoustic guitar the way he does. His fingers flew over the strings, creating a one-man band effect the likes of which isn’t often seen in folk music. His music rang loudly through the theater, but McCarter isn’t the kind of place to turn the amps up to ten.
He played a range of songs from his whole career. He paid tribute to Sandy Denny, who played in Fairport Convention with Thompson, with a tremendous version of "Who Knows Where the Time Goes". "Wall of Death" sounded even more deadpan solo acoustic, and so did "Dimming of the Day". The crowd hung on his every note.
For "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" he praised the radio station that sponsored the concert, Philadelphia's WXPN, whose audience ranked the song as #1 in a recent poll of what songs define the station. "There is no finer station than XPN," he said, and tore into a blistering take of the song. The audience knew about the poll, and they thunderously applauded his words and the song.
From his most recent album, Sweet Warrior, he played "Dad's Gonna Kill Me", a song which is not about teens. "Dad" is soldier slang for Baghdad. The character in the song is a solider stationed in Iraq, desperately wanting out, knowing that "nobody likes me" there. Thompson played the song angrily, using his guitar to show his rage about the war, and every cheer from the audience was in agreement with the music and message.
Richard Thompson puts on a well-balanced show, mixing old and new songs seamlessly and always with a razor-sharp edge. The man deserves his status as a guitar god, and to hear him play and sing was just stirring. He is a virtuoso who lives up to that word.
After the show Thompson signed albums and posed for pictures in the theater's bar. I was lucky enough to meet him. He was genuinely pleased and surprised that I had bought two copies of Sweet Warrior, one for me, one for friends, and even patted me on the back as he said good-bye to me. He seemed like a very nice man, and it was a memorable evening for me. [www.richardthompson-music.com]
Andrea Weiss
Randy Newman
September 27, 2008- McCarter Theater, Princeton, NJ
McCarter Theater's main hall, Matthews Theater, features not only plays, but all types of music. It holds about 1500 people, it's clean, with comfortable seats, and its elegant design was the perfect setting for Newman's music.
Newman is on tour promoting his excellent new album, Harps and Angels, his first collection of new material since 2003’s Good Old Boys. He performs solo, a rarity, which made me even more curious about seeing him. I’ve been a fan for many years, but had never seen him live.
Newman is one of the best pianists I’ve ever seen, although Joe Jackson and Rufus Wainwright come close. It’s easy to see why Newman has been so successful with movies, because his music sets the scene perfectly, enhancing the action on the screen. His own work is the same, but framing his lyrics rather than a scene. He writes wonderful melodies, and anchors those tunes with great hooks.
He talked to the audience after each song, telling jokes or explaining what the next song was about. His voice is a little frail due to age -- Newman is in his early 60s -- but not so frail that you can't hear him sing. The audience ate Newman's words up like candy. They laughed at his jokes, cheered and clapped at the end of every song. He did not sing any of the songs from his movies, but only originals from his albums.
Newman is still as sarcastic, even cynical, as he was in the 70s, but he never takes the fun out of either. Indeed, he lets everyone in on the jokes, so the audience shares the lyrical pranks he pulls. Even when it seems he’s denigrating people, such as in “Short People”, he makes it clear his target is prejudice. Lyrics such as “short people are just the same as you and I, a fool such as I. All men are brothers until the day we die. It’s a wonderful world” leave no doubt about his intent. Sometimes his put-downs skirt the edge of political incorrectness, even racism. His infamous “Rednecks” contains the N-word, but what the character, a Southerner, is actually saying disparages the North’s racism and the hypocrisy of those who won’t acknowledge it. “Rednecks” is one example of his wit; the audience got the joke, and they laughed, but they also got the meaning. The people I saw around me listened happily and didn’t seem to have a problem with the song, and knew the N-word was used sarcastically.
He played two sets and an encore, bowed to the audience at the end of each set, even shook one man’s hand at the end of the show. I enjoyed the performance as much as Newman seemed to, and left happy to have finally seen him live.
Andrea Weiss