What am I waiting for? The day the music really died. A viral pandemic chokes the globe and live music is one of the first to fall, collateral damage from head in sand politicians cross pollinated with increasingly insidious microbes that seem to be able to outsmart Bill Gates, Dr. Fauci, and Donald Trump. It is with heavy heart that I review this show. Jonathan Richman fronted a seminal punk band The Modern Lovers, a quirky cult unit with a few under the radar hits. I have seen him before and his wild-eyed child-like goofiness brings to mind dearly departed savant Daniel Johnston. Richman sang songs in French or Italian because they " sounded better". His songs about "cold pizza" or "dancing at a lesbian bar" were poignant and hysterical. With a dwindling crowd, Richman urged the audience to close in (a few days prior to social distancing). At one point, Jonathan spied a young fan and brought him onstage to sing backup.
I have wanted see Bonnie Prince Billy for years. His real name is Will Oldham and he has fronted and collaborated with a wide array of folkies and "out" musicians since the late 90s. An early release I See A Darkness was my path in, literate but dark lyrics coupled with a world weary voice is captivating. A random video of Oldham and Zach Gallifinakas singing a Britney Spears song on a riding mower piqued my curiosity further. BPB also performed a couple of knockout cuts on the recent Grateful Dead tribute behemoth The Day of the Dead. On this evening, BPB was joined by Emmet Kelly ( no, not the sad-faced clown from the early 1900s) a honey voiced pal to help plow through his set. The new release I Have Made A Place was the main source of material. While a Spotify listen exhibited a slick production, two voices and two acoustic guitars in the echoey live setting was magical. It's hard to think that this will be my last posting for a while, but have faith, live music is like a dandelion in a cracked sidewalk, that shit ain't going anywhere.
No comments:
Post a Comment