First Sussed-tacular event of 2008 - another smashing success!

Tuesday - 2/26/08
Bryant Lake Bowl Theater - Mpls

This altogether enchanting celebration marked another year for Sussed!, the Susstones Tuesday night DJ event that has been providing an early-in-the-week music buzz for discriminating aficionados for a dozen years now, the last 4 at the Bryant Lake Bowl in Lyn-Lake. These events are always a blast, but this one was a wall-to-wall success: a full house, awesome music, abundant good times.



Strange Lights bright light Joe Werner kicked the night off with a brief acoustic set that provided a very interesting contrast to the trippy electric excursions that have been wowing audiences at Strange Lights gigs lately. He played some new compositions, a song from his last band (Bridge Club) and ended his set with the stellar "Zombie Boots," a highlight of most every Strange Lights set and absolutely one of the coolest local songs of the last year.





Janey & Marc turned in their second great set in a row; this very well could've been the best outing yet for this supremely enthralling duo. No John Eller tonight, but drummer Peter Anderson, keyboardist Tim Oesau and bass player "Louie" rounded out what is the 5th (or 6th?) lineup used so far to bring the J&M magic to to the public. Oesau has played in this expanded J&M lineup once before; his contributions were particularly welcome, providing all kinds of wonderful textures that greatly enhanced the sonic proceedings in the cozy BLB theater. The abbreviated set went by in a flash -- the rapturous audience gave them a nice ovation and was clearly primed for some more.



A couple of notable things… Perly didn't waste any time unleashing his newest toy (just acquired that afternoon!), a Fender Electric XII 12 string, a distinctive, quite rare guitar made for a few years during the original Folk Rock boom in the mid to late 60s. This stunning looking axe has been played over the years by a most impressive list of musicians (Pete Townshend, Jimmy Page, Tim Buckley) and has been featured on some of the most famous recordings of the rock era (Tommy, "Stairway to Heaven"). Evidently, Perlman has decided if he's gonna do the "Folk Rock" thing, he might as well do it right!





Speaking of Tim Buckley, this was the second J&M show in a row that was highlighted by a song from the back catalog of this amazing folk/rock experimentalist, a true pioneer who left behind some of the most challenging, provocative music from Rock's golden age. Aside from being a gifted musician and vocalist, Buckley wasn't too shabby a songwriter either. Everybody in the room quickly fell under the J&M spell as they wove their way into "Song to the Siren," one of Buckley's most famous compositions (it was featured on the Monkees TV show and was also memorably covered by This Mortal Coil and the Cocteau Twins -- how's that for cultural diversity?).

Long afloat on shipless oceans
I did all my best to smile
'Til your singing eyes and fingers
Drew me loving to your isle
And you sang
Sail to me
Sail to me
Let me enfold you
Here I am
Here I am
Waiting to hold you

Did I dream you dreamed about me?
Were you here when i was full sail
Now my foolish boat is leaning
Broken lovelorn on your rocks,
For you sing,
"Touch me not, touch me not, come back tomorrow:
O my heart, O my heart shies from the sorrow"

I am puzzled
as the newborn child
I am troubled at the tide:
Should I stand amid the breakers?
Should I lie with Death my bride?
Hear me sing, "Swim to me,
Swim to me, Let me enfold you:
Here I am, Here I am, Waiting to hold you"

Simply stunning.

Their music may be new, but the past is never too far away when you take a trip into J&M's musical wonderland. The new retro axe, the carefully chosen period covers, the overall "folky" vibe -- all vivid reminders that often times the greatest music of today was also the greatest music of yesterday.





And continuing on the timelessness tip was Ed Ackerson + band, still basking in the glow of his fine solo debut album and related CD release party last November. The Susstones' Ace assembled the same crackin' good band he used at The Varsity: Peter Anderson, Tim Oesau, Marc Perlmam and Alarmist Eric Lovold -- nearly all the same players who had just backed up J&M. Talk about easy changeovers.



The entire set consisted of several songs from Ed Ackerson and every last one of them sounded great, not surprising considering the considerable collected talent of the band plus the quality of the material. After living with them for a few months, the songs on Ackerson's album continue to amaze -- this ageless collection of top drawer, often highly personal songs, inspired semi-acoustic instrumentation, beautiful singing and superlative production is a crowning achievment in Ackerson's long, storied career. On stage, the songs are vibrant and alive; in some cases -- like "Three Great Days" -- the needle gets pushed right up into the red as the band works things up into a truly impressive frenzy. I think the technical term for this is "rave up."

This intimate setting also allowed up close and personal contact with some of the best lyrics Ackerson has ever written.

It's only salt in the wounds now
Bringing up boats that I missed and how
I didn't live up to something
I never asked for
Parallel universe envy
Won't change anything here and now

I missed my calling...

Not bad for a "Space Rocker," huh?

Lovold once again deserves special mention -- his acoustic & electric guitar and harmony contributions are key elements in helping to elevate these live versions to a level they deserve. Kudos to him for coming along for the ride.





The night ended up with a brief but enjoyable set from "Phear and the Bullet," the nom de rock for Phil Solem (formerly of The Rembrandts) and Ryan Smith (currently of The Melismatics). These two cats have been playing around town in recent months – first as a mostly acoustic duo, lately as an electric three piece with the addition of Melismatics drummer Ron Caron. When they have the time to stretch things out (and perhaps consume a little “inspiration”) the combination of their chops, songs, charisma and undeniable comedic skills can be a potent force. On this occasion they only had time for 6 songs – some first rate pop from Solem (including “You Are Here,” a mesmerizingly good song), a couple of Melismatics gems and a finale that included, yup, you guessed it – “the song, I guess, we have to play.” Even though you’ve heard the Friends theme song a million times, only a cranky churl would deny its pure pop pleasures. And when P&TB whip up a spirited version of it on stage and everybody in the audience does the “clap thing” during the first verse...well, it just doesn’t get much better than that. Seriously!

What a perfect way to end the night – with a big fat smile on your face. And why not? We had just seen two hours of fantastic music in one of the coolest spaces in town, had been served drinks and food right we're sitting and hadn’t paid a damn thing for cover. That’s Sussed! – the weekly music bash that just keeps on giving. :-)

Gary Louris in-store @ Electric Fetus Minneapolis - 2/23/08

Judging from the couple hundred of people packed into the Electric Fetus in Mpls, i'd say that there's a considerable buzz in the hometown of Gary Louris, whose fine new album Vagabonds was released 4 days before this totally engaging in-store performance. After working with Gary on a few recent radio and video sessions, Jim Boquist once again was on board for this outing. Boquist has played with Gary many, many times over the last two decades in various Jayhawks and Golden Smog settings, but these recent appearances have been truly special. At one point, Gary alluded to something he talked about in an interview with a 60>0 staffer a few weeks ago: Jim was thisclose to being a real Jayhawk on more than one occasion. The mind reels at "what mighta been."

There was also a few nice rounds of reasonably hilarious banter that was a nice counterpoint to the frequently weighty vibe of many of the songs.

Gary: [talking about his new website]... and i've got a blog, too. Blog -- that's a funny word. Jim, do you blog?
Jim: i think you can guess the answer to that question, Gary.

The audience got a generous 7 song serving of stripped down Vagabonds magic. "Vagabonds" and "We'll Get By" sounded especially warm and tasty in this context. Boquist was a perfect accompanist for this set; his harmonies and guitar work was never anything short of superb. He and Gary simply sound fabulous together. The large crowd was attentive and polite throughout this display of stunningly good music. There weren't even any audible catcalls for Jayhawks songs, especially since Gary said up front that he was only going to play songs from the new album.

A strategy that, of course, went right out the window when he stunned a good chunk of the audience with a chilling version of "Listen Joe," the emotionally weighty song he penned with Jeff Tweedy and released on the last Golden Smog full lengther, Another Fine Day (frequent readers know 60>0's views on this overlooked work; i won't repeat myself other than to say that that if you don't like it, you're wrong). Gary prefaced "Joe" with a comment about AFD being "misunderstood"; clearly, the relative failure of that project still weighs on him.

Another gem from AFD was offered up -- a surprising version of "Gone," done slightly more uptempo and in a higher, more "folky" key than the original. "Gone" has shown up a few times in solo Louris sets, but it's still jarring to hear it sans the loops, spooky electronic textures and complex production found on the studio version. Jim claimed that they had just "worked it up" earlier in the day, but it sounded awfully good to these ears. The presence of "Gone" in this setlist also served to provide a critical link to many of the "heavier" lyrical themes found on Vagabonds (and other recent, yet unreleased Louris compositions).

Well i saw you at the station / it was after the election
The downcast, they were calling / your behavior was appalling
At the feet of the blessed / your halo burned my hand
Are you happy were you are?

Well i knew then it was over / when the crowd began standing
You were driving / We were swerving / And the levers began burning
From the mountains to the desert / the search for truth was gone
Are you happy were you are?

And all the alcohol that everyone consumed
Could not erase the the void of emptiness...emptiness
Inside the tomb

Well, the old priest he was praying /
And the young nun she was laying
The drunkard he was drinking /And the young boy he was thinking
For the first time in a long time /He felt the touch of God
Are you happy were you are?

And all the alcohol that everyone consumed
Could not erase the the void of ghosts around the room
Don't look behind the face to see where faith has gone
You know that's only wise for everyone...everyone...holding on

Well i saw you at the station / it was after the election
The downtrod were calling / your behavior was so sad
At the feet of the altar / your halo burned my hand
Are you happy were you are?

Now that i think of it, "Listen Joe" and "Gone" are sorta "new" -- certainly in relation to any Jayhawks music -- so maybe Gary wasn't fibbing after all. :-)

The final song was also something of a surprise, albeit a very welcome one -- "Three Too Many," a song that was originally shortlisted for Vagabonds and is now currently available as a iTunes bonus track. The Syd Barrett meets Byrds glow was surprisingly still very evident, even minus the full electric band that makes the studio version so enjoyable. Gary also played this at a solo show last summer in Paris, so maybe this will also show up in future sets.

After the set, Gary graciously signed stuff and chatted with the fans for a long while. All in all, a perfect way to set the table for the upcoming tour with Vetiver.


Gary Louris (wth Jim Boquist)
In-store performance @ Electric Fetus
Minneapolis, MN
2/23/08

Gary Louris - vocals, guitars, harmonica
Jim Boquist - harmony vocals, guitars, bass

True Blue
She Only Calls Me On Sundays
Vagabonds
DC Blues
Listen Joe
Omaha Nights
We'll Get By
Gone
To Die A Happy Man
Three Too Many

New Ed Ackerson track now up!

Here's a link to "Beside Herself," a fab outtake from the sessions that produced Ed Ackerson's wondrous debut solo album:

http://edackerson.com/blog/?p=70

Bloody well right!

Sussed-tacular @ Bryant Lake Bowl in Mpls - February 26

SUSSEDTACULAR AT BLB!

Celebrating 4 years of SUSSED at the Bryant Lake Bowl


It’s time for another Sussedtacular extravaganza concert...which is really just an excuse for a bunch of Susstones artists and friends to get together and play some awesome music. Coming on the heels of the stellar Sussedtacular / Ed Ackerson CD release party combo platter at the Varsity Theater last November, the first Sussedtacular bash of 2008 promises to be equally exciting. This time the event will be held in the cozy confines of the Bryant Lake Bowl Theater.

What’s the occasion? Well, it’s been 4 years since Sussed, the long-running (since 1996) Tuesday night Susstones DJ event, moved into the front room of the BLB in the happenin’ Lyn-Lake neighborhood. Sussed main man Marc “Guv’nor” Mueller and his merry band of music freaks have been the best reason to head out on a Tuesday night for over a decade. Sussed is always a perfect opportunity to hear the latest cutting edge indie pop, deep classic soul grooves, pysch, freakbeat, garage nuggets, reggae, mod, brit invasion, choice cuts from Japan, Brazil and all points in between, soundtrack madness, proto-funk, post-punk, space-junk... basically whatever the hell the DJ wants to play! It happens every Tuesday in the front room at the BLB from 10pm-2am. Full bar / drink specials. And it’s free.


The poop on the concert:

Sussedtacular – Celebrating 4 years of Sussed at the BLB
Tuesday – February 26, 2008
Bryant Lake Bowl Theater
810 W. Lake Street (Bryant and Lake) – Minneapolis

10 pm sharp
ABSOLUTELY FREE


On tap for this must-see event:

Ed Ackerson + band – Ed’s eponymous solo album has been in the stores for a few months now and continues to amaze with its exceedingly smart brand of semi-acoustic folk/pop stylings and world-class production. On the album, Ed did the “one man band” thing. For recent live shows, including this one, he’s assembled an ace crew of local hot shots: Peter Anderson, Marc Perlman and Tim Oesau. Also playing with Ed will be Eric Lovold from The Alarmists on vocals and guitar, Minnesota’s latest white-hot sensation. Lovold’s contributions during live appearances with Ed last November made those occasions truly memorable.

Janey & Marc – former Jayhawk Marc Perlman and former Astronaut Wifer Janey Winterbauer have been making gorgeous music together for the last 15 months or so. Perlman had accumulated a boatload of songs without a home and Winterbauer’s amazing vocal talents had been adrift since AW’s entry into quasi-hibernation. They’ve recorded a bunch of cool stuff at Ed Ackerson’s Flowers studio and also have quietly become one of the most compelling live acts in town – Perlman’s sadly beautiful folk-pop and Winterbauer’s alluring voice are a match made in heaven.

Phear & The Bullet – aka Phil Solem (formerly of The Rembrandts; currently playing and recording solo, and also playing in Thrush, a rock trio with Michael Bland and John Fields) & Ryan Smith (currently with The Melismatics). Talk about your strange pairings! On paper, this looks like a classic odd couple situation – different generations, different musical styles, different hairdos. However, recent live shows at The Uptown Bar have been great in ways that almost nobody could’ve imagined, mixing Solem’s well-crafted, intelligent pop songs (and some Rembrandt’s stuff, too), revelatory acoustic versions of Melismatics songs from Smith, solid guitar work, interesting covers, goofy banter and tangible chemistry. In other words, this is not to be missed. Oh yeah, there’s a reasonably good chance that they’ll play that song – you know, the one that you secretly like but publicly diss around your friends.

Joe Werner – Werner is the singer/songwriter/guitarist for Strange Lights, a new collective of trippy space rockers who have already developed some serious chops that belies their youth. Spawned from the loins of Bridge Club and First Communion After Party, Strange Lights have been playing some amazing shows around town lately. Joe will be appearing in quasi-acoustic format, which should put his material in a different light than when the big freak machine is plugged in.

PLUS

Tasty tunes from the regular Sussed DJs:

Marc “Guv’nor” Mueller / Christian “MPLSLTD” Fritz / The Plate

Mark Olson (+ "special guest") @ 400 Bar - 2/10/08

The temp was ridiculously cold outside (heading towards -10 F), but it was warm and cozy inside the 400 Bar as a nice crowd enjoyed the ambient body heat as well as the warm sounds emanating from the stage. Openers Janey & Marc turned in one of their finest sets to date while Mark Olson and his new crew (Ingunn Ringvold – vocals, guitar, piano, djembe and Michele Gazich – violin) just keep sounding better and better after several months on the road. Highlights of the main Olson set included “Clifton Bridge,” “Sandy Denny,” “Still We Have a Friend in You,” “Poor Michaels Boat” and a soaring version of the Jayhawk’s “Over My Shoulder.” Longtime friend/Creekdipper Mike "Raz" Russell joined in on violin half way through the set, reprising the "twin fiddle" magic that electrified much of the proceedings when Olson played the 400 last August.

The two beautiful sets of music were then capped off with 3 encores featuring Gary Louris joining Mark and his band. This earthquake resulted in several subsequent spine-tingling moments as the back pages of the Jayhawks came to life once again. The dirty details on the encore:

• "Sister Cry," "Blue" (Ingunn chipped in on the chorus so the "univoice" gained a third component on this occasion) and "Pray For Me" (second time i've heard that song played live this week...and both times featured members of the Jayhawks)


• short break


• then everybody back up for a gorgeous version of "Decembers Child" (featuring some fine finger pickin' by Gary) followed by "Two Angels" (the crowd ecstacy went into the heavens at this point; i turned around and saw numerous smiles, stunned faces and people singing along)


• farewells and thanks/lights up/house music comes on


• crowd goes apesh*t


• lights back down


• everybody stumbles back on stage for a spontaneous encore -- a snazzy version of Johnny's "I Still Miss Someone"… a perfect ending to a thrilling encore

Gary also sat in with Olson last August at the 400 – and they sang most of the same songs – but this time things were even more intense even though the setting was “acoustic” this time. Go figure. Notably different this time, though, was the two of them singing “Blue” together. Last August Mark and Ingunn sang it (he evidently planned it that way since Gary had already appeared on stage by then) while Gary was outside having a smoke! As startling as it was to hear “Blue” without the trademark harmonies, it was positively bizarre to think that both Olson and Louris were in the same place at the same time and didn’t sing together on perhaps their most famous song. Talk about putting the past behind you!

Olson and company reportedly had a hellacious drive coming from the Pacific Northwest for this gig, but they were in exceedingly good spirits for the show. And it showed – this was one of the most enjoyable local Olson appearances in a long time.

Gary Louris is about to go on tour to celebrate the release of his fine new album Vagabonds and Olson and Louris will hopefully be on the road together later in the year to support the record they recorded last year in California with Chris Robinson. And Marc Perlman is definitely heading in the right direction with his wonderful Janey & Marc project. It’s not even Valentines Day and this already looks like it will be a very good year for Jayhawks fans.

Janey & Marc @ 400 Bar - 2/10/08

When it was announced that Marc Perlman's new folk/pop project Janey & Marc would be opening up for a Mark Olson show at the 400 Bar in Mpls, there was a reasonably good chance that all 3 of the founding members of The Jayhawks would be in the same room at the same time since Gary Louris has been a frequent guest at recent local Olson appearances.

That was indeed the case on an exceedingly cold-ass night in Mpls; predictably, some hard-core Jayhawks fans in attendance were positively atwitter at the site of this powerful confluence. Even though Louris sat in for the encores at the end of Olson's set, that was it in the way of "reunions." Not that anyone should've been complaining, though. Even without Louris' exciting contributions, Olson's acoustic trio was in fine form and Janey & Marc were simply superb, turning in one of their best ever sets over 15 months of sporadic appearances.

J&M have appeared in several different configurations for the handful of shows they've played so far: just the two of them kickin' it old-school folk style; the "Kingfield Trio," adding Ed Ackerson on bass; a full-blown big band thang with drums, keyboards and John Eller on guitar and harmonies; and, for this acoustic show, a new trio lineup with J&M and Eller.

Janey, Marc and John did their best to warm the room up with their near flawless performances. Janey was at her mesmerizing best and Perly even brought out his A-game in the dry wit and humor department. All of the usual J&M jewels were offered ("Goodbye Kiss," "Back to You," "Love Me Once Again"), joined by a stripped down yet powerful version of their just hatched epic, "With You." "Beautiful Day" -- which first saw life during the sessions for the last Golden Smog album -- was another highlight; this song gets better with each passing performance. A spirited rendition of The Velvets' "What Goes On" (played just a few days earlier at another gig involving Perlman) made a welcome appearance near the end, as did "The Dark End of the Street," an achingly beautiful tale of dark love that was done definitively by James Carr 40 years ago and resonates perfectly with Perlman's often melancholy musings on pain and loss.

At the dark end of the street
that is where we always meet
hiding in shadows where we don't belong
living in darkness, to hide alone

There were also a couple of new additions to the J&M repertoire. Marc sang a very cool version of Fred Neil's "Dolphins" -- first popularized by Tim Buckley and covered by everybody from Linda Rondstadt to The Trash Can Sinatras -- a song that is almost eerily appropriate in this season of war and politics.

This old world may never change
The way it's been
And all the ways of war
Can't change it back again

I'm not the one to tell this world
How to get along
I only know the peace will come
When all hate is gone

Then there was the biggest shocker of the whole night, especially for astute Jayhawks fans -- "I Hear You Cry," a way obscure (bonus track on a 1997 European CD) Perlman penned and sung song from the Sound of Lies era. There's nothing in the entire Jayhawks catalog that quite sounds like this moody little ditty and, needless to say, there aren't a whole lot of people who are even aware of its existence. To say it was something of a surprise to hear this played live is a major understatement. For what it's worth, I thought it sounded wonderful, providing a road map that leads straight to some of Perlman's recent compositions. There are only a couple of known live performances of this song by The Jayhawks (in Europe in 1997) although, interestingly, it made an equally shocking out-of-the-blue appearance during a Golden Smog set at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC during an August 2004 benefit concert.

Hello my little China doll
Did I do something wrong?
Should I ask you for forgiveness
Or should I just leave you alone

We need some quiet conversation
We can tell each other lies
Maybe we could light a fire
If we tend it itll work out right

(chorus)
Don't you know how I hear you cry
But everythings all right
Dont you know how I feel inside
But everythings all right

There was a time I thought we'd make it
I didnt mean to bring you down
But I dream about you always
Just tell me I should let it go now

The set ended with a typically lovely reading of Perlman's "Cure For This," perhaps the finest moment on Golden Smog's woefully misunderstood/underappreciated 2006 album, Another Fine Day. As they had throughout the set, the perfectly attentive crowd gave J&M&J a heartfelt ovation; this was probably the best response i've experienced yet at a J&M show.

With stellar performances later in the evening from Perlman's former bandmates this was indeed a great way for Jayhawks fans to spend a frigid Sunday night. In fact, the previous week had been something of a special treat for local Jayhawks fans with Golden Smog appearing at an historic Obama rally and an off-the-radar but excellent benefit gig by Tim O'Reagan, Jim Boquist and Perlman. Perly was the common link at all three of these events. Coincidence?

Sussed-tacular @ Bryant Lake Bowl - February 26

It's time for another smokin' Sussed-tacular event at the Susstones club house, the Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis. The action goes down on Tuesday, Feb. 26. The line-up is fluid at this point, but confirmed acts include the Ed Ackerson band and Janey & Marc.

Music starts at 10 pm and there's no cover.

More exciting details to follow. Mark your calendar!

"Tim, Jim & Marc" @ The Cabooze - 2/7/08

Sometimes great sets can just pop up and smack you up side the head when you’re least expecting them








(no camera this time; photos from various previous gigs)
(Tim photo courtesy of kiki @ http://www.2bhifi.com/kiki/)

Back in the early 90s, Tim O’Reagan and Jim Boquist played a handful of shows in and around the Twin Cities as a quasi-folk duo. They were usually billed under a variety of less-than-imaginative names (“O’Reagan Boquist Band,” “Tim & Jim,” etc) and frequently appeared in out of the way venues (the Loring Bar??) with little notice or appeared as an unannounced support act at First Ave / 7th St Entry.

Well, Tim & Jim, along with Marc Perlman, were in fact on the bill last Thursday at a benefit at the Cabooze in Mpls for something called "Peace & War In The Heartland,” a poorly attended, low-key benefit for some organization i’d never heard of before. At one point in the midst of what turned out to be an absolutely delightful 10 song set, the fellas continued some fairly entertaining between song banter by entering into a discussion on what they should call themselves – “The Curmudgeons?”… “how ‘bout the Old Curmudgeons?”… “we’re kinda old.” For now, I’ll just call them “TJM.” Also appearing on the bill were two bands i was utterly unfamiliar with and Strange Lights, the young, always interesting gang of space rockers who have been turning in some awfully interesting sets of late. As it turned out, TJM went on first, just about an hour after the doors opened at 7pm and after a perfunctory rally speech by an old Vietnam Vet who was living through the second great international tragedy in his lifetime that involves US armed forces. Strange Lights trippy jams were relegated to the end; the whole thing was over by 11 – a very reasonable finish time for a week night.

The crowd was mostly young and many appeared to be attached somehow to the two middle bands who i still know next to nothing about, even though i dutifully sat through both of their sets. There were a handful of people who seemed to be familiar with TJM, but i can honestly say that i barely recognized about 3 people there out of crowd that might have hit 100 at some point. I knew twice as many of the musicians as i did attendees.

I really didn’t have much of a clue as to what was gonna go down. I had a hunch that there would be plenty of Tim stuff, especially since his name had been on the bill the longest and, indeed, was the sole name listed on the marquee outside (not even the benefit org was shown!). That turned out to be the case, but boy oh boy, there were plenty of great offerings from Jim and Marc, too. After a few songs, i realized i was in the process of witnessing a great set, and i immediately rued the knowledge that the proceedings were going to be undocumented – at least in audio and visual terms. I’ve been so out of the habit of going to shows lately that i even stupidly forgot my digital camera – one of the more bone-headed things i’ve done in recent weeks. So, i sat there like a smiling low-tech fool, absorbing what turned out to be one of the best sets of local music i’ve seen in a long, long time.

The line-up was simplicity itself: Marc on electric bass, Tim on acoustic 6 string and harp, and Jim on electric 6 string. They all were sitting down, just like back in the old folky days. Lead vocals were rotated through the set and Tim and Jim (and sometimes Marc) contributed harmonies. Not surprisingly, these 3 old pals acquitted themselves flawlessly. Tim and Jim’s harmonies were superb throughout and Jim’s always sterling guitar work was especially memorable as he coaxed one beautiful lead after another out of his old hollow-body Gibson. After a few minutes, i was transported back in time to the old Tim and Jim magic from those days when Tim wasn’t quite a Jayhawk yet and Jim was in between memorable gigs with Joe Henry and Son Volt. Only this was even better thanks to Perlman’s contributions. According to Tim, this was, shockingly, the first time this particular line-up had appeared in public, amazing when you consider how much time these guys have spent together as their paths have repeatedly criss-crossed over the last 17 years. For trainspotters, it should be noted that this was, i believe, the first time Marc and Tim have shared a stage since a Jayhawks reunion at the First Ave. 30th Anniversary bash back in December 2005. After the show, Tim said, “it sure felt good to play with Marc again,” something quite obvious to anyone in attendance who was paying attention.

It was especially thrilling to hear a couple of familiar classic Jayhawks songs with not so familiar harmonies. On “Pray For Me,” Tim took the Mark part while Jimmy channeled Gary to a scary degree – singing the high notes and turning in a frighteningly good Byrdsian guitar line; it all resulted in an exquisite experience. Bone chilling stuff. Before “Pray For Me,” Tim said “we’re gonna do some more covers... here’s an old Jayhawks song,” a statement sure to be dissected in some of the more obsessive corners of the interwebs. The harmonies on “Tampa to Tulsa” were certainly more familiar, as Tim and Jim have honed this song to near perfection in the post-RDM years, but this certainly was an interesting pair of “covers” for Jayhawks fans, providing compelling evidence that the Jayhawks legacy lives on even though the pieces of the puzzle get shifted around now and then.

Special mention should also be made of Boquist’s “Why,” a song once known to fans as “Muddy Shoulder.” During the recent Tim O’Reagan Band era, this song has flowered into a stunning thing of beauty. It’s got that classic timeworn feel that evokes nothing less than a lost Gene Clark masterpiece – just about the highest praise you could give someone, especially an old soul like Jim who clearly has an almost eerie spiritual connection to that special period of musical history. Speaking of which, the second song of the evening was another highlight of recent Tim O’Reagan live sets, the Gene Clark/Bernie Leadon classic, “Train Leaves Here This Morning,” a song popularized by the Eagles on their first album, but originally released in 1968 on The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard and Clark, one of the most influential albums from that era, and a wellspring of inspiration (and cover songs) for a whole generation of “alt-country” / “Americana” artists in later years, including TJM, Gary Louris and just about every other musician with a modicum of taste who’s picked up a guitar over the last 3 decades.

There were some predictable familiar moments from recent O’Reagan shows, including “Pictures of Dad” and the always moving reading of Simon and Garfunkel’s “April Come Say You Will.” Perlman also tackled an old fave of his, The Only Ones’ “From Here to Eternity,” a rare treat that almost always shows up only at small-scale intimate gigs like the Mad Ripple Hootenanny.

The last two songs had a special glow that capped off the all too short but superb set. A rousing cover of the Velvet’s “What Goes On,” sung by Perlman and complete with some enthused acoustic guitar jam work at the end, fired up the appreciative but polite crowd. This was always a highlight on the occasions when Kraig Johnson and the Program (sometimes featuring Perlman) burned through it a few years back when they were one of the hottest live acts in town and it was a joy to hear this inspired reading as well. Finally, and an obvious choice for this event – if not this era – was Nick Lowe’s “What’s So Funny (‘bout Peace Love and Understanding)?” Perlman and his Golden Smog bandmates almost got to encore with this song 5 days earlier at a historic rally for Barack Obama in Minneapolis, but fell victim to time constraints. This time the peaceniks got a straight shot of this 35 year old anthem of hope, featuring vocals from everyone on stage. Right on!

Sometimes great sets can just pop up and smack you up side the head when you’re least expecting them which, of course, is one of the main things that drives live music heads to continually troll the waters out in Clubland for the next big strike. This was certainly the case at this strange gig. I felt like i was in a different town and, at times, a different decade. Hopefully, we’ll get to see a reprise of this old new magic very soon.


Tim O’Reagan / Jim Boquist / Marc Perlman
“Peace and Love in the Heartland” benefit
February 7, 2008
The Cabooze – Minneapolis, MN


River Bends
Train Leaves Here This Morning
Pray For Me
Tampa to Tulsa
From Here to Eternity
Why
Pictures of Dad
April Come Say You Will
What Goes On
What’s So Funny (‘bout Peace, Love and Understanding)?

Tim O’Reagan – acoustic guitar, harp, lead and background vocals
Jim Boquist – electric guitar, lead and background vocals
Marc Perlman – electric bass, lead and background vocals

Golden Smog vs Obama in Minneapolis!

(photo by Steve Cohen)

These days, you never know when you're going to be lucky enough to see another Golden Smog show. After seeing them do a few outdoor appearances last summer, it didn't seem outside the realm of possibility that those outings might very well be the last GS shows for a long, long time.

Well, never count the Smoggers out. I never thought i'd see them in a venue as big as the Target Center in Mpls, or at an event as significant as an Obama rally. The fact that Tweedy was in the mix (not surprising since he's a longtime Obama supporter; indeed Obama singled him out for thanks in his opening comments) was just icing on the cake.

They played 6 songs in just under a half an hour to a nearly full house. They sounded surprisingly good considering the circumstances (just a couple of days advance notice) and looked like they were living a dream come true-- not too shabby considering they're all a bunch of grizzled "vets." It was also an appearance rich with irony -- they played to the biggest crowd that i know of for a GS show, yet the percentage of the audience that was familiar with their material was clearly at an all time low. Such is the strangeness that occurs when the worlds of music and politics collide.

Manning the Smog skins for this show was Greg "Wiz" Wieczorek from Joseph Arthur's band, who also was the drummer for the Smoggers at their 2007 appearances. Wiz and Kraigy flew in at the last minute for the gig, just like real rock stars.

Oh yeah, it wasn't that hard to get in, despite all the "sold out" warnings. There were plenty of tickets being given away by those with extras and the "no ticket line" was shockingly short an hour before the doors opened. Everybody in that line got in once it was clear that there was room for them; i saw a fair number of empty seats up in the rafters right before Obama's speech started. The moral of the story: if you stay at home for a "sold out" event, there's 0% chance of getting in.

Here's the 4-1-1:


Golden Smog
Barack Obama Rally
Feb. 2, 2008
Target Center - Minneapolis, MN

Looking Forward To Seeing You
Glad and Sorry
To Call My Own
Love and Mercy
Beautiful Mind
Until You Came Along

Songs on the setlist that weren't played:

I Can't Keep From Talking
Corvette
Easy to be Hard
What's So Funny 'bout Peace, Love and Understanding (performed at soundcheck)
Revolution Blues


Band:

Gary Louris
Kraig Johnson
Marc Perlman
Dan Murphy
Jeff Tweedy
and
Greg Wiz on drums


The boys were originally slated for 45 minutes, but that got cut back. They were "hooked" right after UYCA which really sucked since the Nick Lowe and Neil covers were up next. How cool -- and appropriate -- would it have been to hear either/both of those in such a surreal setting?