Downtown reed-man Rothenberg takes his current group to the Firehouse. Rothenberg played clarinet, bass clarinet, and Japanese skakuhachi flute. Mark Feldman on violin, Erik Friedlander on cello, Jerome Harris on acoustic guitar/bass, and Satoshi Takeishi on percussion.
The second set started with a mournful clarinet-centric tune. I am currently reading "New York Noise", Tamar Barzel's book chronicling John Zorn's radical Jewish music and the downtown scene of Knitting Factory fame. I can' help but relish the thought of Freidlander, Feldman, and Rothenberg as being instrumental ( no pun intended) in this movement of the mid-90s. With masterful command of their instruments, these guys veer from ethnic to avant grade and back. Tight compositions with airy spaces to improvise keep them moving. The textural elements of Takeishi colored and shaded these songs to a sharp delivery. Great end to the winter season.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Dawes w/ Hiss Golden Messenger 12/5/15 College St Music Hall
Opener HGM from North Carolina showed some good songwriting and guitar-centric rock. Lead singer had a Ryan Adams flair (even sported the tight denim jacket). Drums, bass, sax, and keys/slide guitar rounded out the group. Singer had just enough twang for an enjoyable lead-in for Dawes.
The hall was packed to see Dawes, which seemed to surprise leader and singer Taylor Goldsmith. The crowd had an interesting demographic, mainly young couples aged 20-40. Dawes has a few records with minimal hit recognition but a seemingly fervent following. The plateau where jam, rock, and pop reside is a tiny space with slippery slopes on all sides. Dawes tried to maintain balance on this coveted real estate, but inevitably fell off. Comparisons to Jackson Browne and Counting Crows should have tipped me off. Thankfully they didn't try to recreate the Brown classic "Lawyers in Love" which is one of the tunes I seem to despise most. Tame songwriting and un inspirational musicianship flowed from Dawes. On one tune, the refrain was "I'll take some mashed potatoes and some chicken wings cause I'm a little bit of everything", I guess they have as much "everything" as a KFC value meal.
The hall was packed to see Dawes, which seemed to surprise leader and singer Taylor Goldsmith. The crowd had an interesting demographic, mainly young couples aged 20-40. Dawes has a few records with minimal hit recognition but a seemingly fervent following. The plateau where jam, rock, and pop reside is a tiny space with slippery slopes on all sides. Dawes tried to maintain balance on this coveted real estate, but inevitably fell off. Comparisons to Jackson Browne and Counting Crows should have tipped me off. Thankfully they didn't try to recreate the Brown classic "Lawyers in Love" which is one of the tunes I seem to despise most. Tame songwriting and un inspirational musicianship flowed from Dawes. On one tune, the refrain was "I'll take some mashed potatoes and some chicken wings cause I'm a little bit of everything", I guess they have as much "everything" as a KFC value meal.
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