Opener Buckner is an acquired taste. Woozy poetic folk is punctuated by Buckner's dylanesque delivery that sounds like he's singing while walking around with a rock in his shoe. This notion of sliding in to notes and phrases is off-putting if you are not fully engaged. With a new recording of "jaunty little numbers" (sic), Buckner seemed unphased by the crowd's indifference, and why not? He's been consistent in his craft for decades.
I am not familiar with Califone's output, but have heard their name for years. Ring-led by Tim Rutilli on guitar, keys (when they work), and noises, this group sounds very Wilco-y. With drums, female percussionist, and bass/keys rounding out the quartet Califone gave a collection of folk songs interspersed with an odd selection of drones and squall. Their new recording Stitches was showcased. Rutilli is the true artists artist. At one point he stopped mid-song to call out a fan for shooting video from the front row ("what are you doing with that phone?, it's driving me f-ing nuts"). During another song he stopped to say that he could not finish the song because "the piano is broken", which was odd because I detected no break in the piano part. The evening was a refreshing blend of music and uncompromising artistry that seems rare today.
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