Kevin Morby w/ Waxahatchee 3/29/17 Spaceland Ballroom

Waxahatchee is the brainchild of Katie Crutchfield. Armed with just an electric guitar, Crutchfield is a solo indie folk artist. Deliberate droney picking was the backdrop for heartfelt songs. The local library has copies of her recent Ivy Trip and earlier Cerulean Blue recordings. She reminded me of the melancholy of Sharon Van Etten.
Kevin Morby is also a singer songwriter who played mainly acoustic guitar. I noticed that he played bass in an early incarnation of the band Woods that was favorably reviewed in this blog. Like so many artists, Kevin resides in Brooklyn. Strong vocals and deft picking had me thinking of Grant Lee Philips (of Grant Lee Buffalo fame). Strains of Van Morrison and Dylan could also be heard, he even tried to rhyme "easy" with "baby Jesus" which was a Dylanesque stretch. Kevin pulled the first opener, Mary Lattimore, a harpist, onstage to accompany him on keyboard. The harp gave an ethereal effect to the song. I realize that solo performers rarely play as long as full band sets, but Kevin's show ended abruptly with no encore.

Laura Stevenson 3/22/17 Bar

Indie-pop songstress Stevenson is from Long Island. Stevenson on guitar and vocals, bass, female drummer, keys/accordion, and an older than the rest fella on lead guitar. Good songs and a clear full voice played to a large crowd. A stoner contingent must have traversed the Sound, they knew all the lyrics and we're almost on the non-existent stage at Bar. Laura's voice morphed from smart-ass slacker Juliana Hatfield to alt-country crooning of Emmy Lou Harris. Song structure ranged from high energy punk to heartfelt ballads. Tight backing band allowed this singer songwriter to shine.

Chris Goutreau w/ Snake Union Neverending Books 3/11/17

Part of the monthly Uncertainty Music Series that highlights new and experimental music at the decidedly lo-fi Neverending Bookstore. Musty and dimly lit, a sad amalgam of discarded office chairs (mine had a non-functioning back) and a stage that looks unfit even for creepy puppet shows is the venue. Snake Union was a synth duo who coaxed squeaks, squiggles and beats from a tangled mess of laptops and wires. Vocal snippets were looped to an ethereal effect with one dude on "lead laptop" and the other on "rhythm laptop". One sequence sounded like a seagull being strangled. It's hard to appreciate the lack of performance movement associated with this type of music, I mean the lead guy looked as if he was garnishing a salad or performing CPR on a very small animal. I liked their dreamy duo sound.
Chris Goutreau (sp?) was a solo knob-twiddler. His unit looked like a window box chia pet of colorful wires and connectors. His sound was more grating and choppy than Snake Union. He rocked autistically while lifting and re-inserting connectors yielding loud pops and crackles which put forth an odd sounding cyborgasm. Always interesting to see who makes it to a show like this, these guys could compose the national anthem for Bleep or Blapland.

Heat 3/8/17 Bar

Montreal quartet Heat brought a good dose of jangle pop to a sparse post-Lips show at Bar. Guitar, bass, solid drums, and charismatic frontman on rhythm guitar and vocals. Original songs and solid vocals reminded me of Luna and in particular Dean Wareham. The singer had one of those large 1960s looking guitars. The Montreal music scene is fertile, and these guys are traveling down the east coast for their mini pre-festival tour.

Flaming Lips 3/8/17 College Street Music Hall

It's hard to believe the last time I saw The Flaming Lips was at a 1999 Berkshire Mountain Fest. On that occasion, the Lips festooned the stage with cartoon inflatables while showing video of  brain surgery. Fast forward 17 years and this lysergic band of merry pranksters hits the College Street Music Hall. The stage was flanked by two huge inflatable mushrooms. Wayne Coyne, the grizzled frontman for the Lips emerged with a huge Mylar balloon sculpture spelling out "Fuck Yeah New Haven" which  floated over the crowd. The recorded history of the Lips has been varied, The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi, Embryonic, The Terror in addition to homage projects to Pink Floyd and the Beatles. The evening was made even trippier with an excellent light show. Wayne sang Bowie's Space Oddity while floating over the crowd in a huge clear balloon. Lips shows are always happenings and this evening was no different. Good setlist of old and new songs.

DJ Logic w/ Broca's Area 2/24/17 Arch St. Hartford

The last time I attended two concerts at two venues in two different towns on the same evening had me watching DJ Logic as the bar closed. Broca's Area is a Hartford based groove band that seems to be the house band at Arch St. The highlight is their female singer who has seemed to have gained some sass since my last viewing. A Jill Scott cover and some decent originals were a good warmup for Logic.
DJ Logic comes correct with two "turntables and a laptop". He seamlessly weaves beats and loops from song fragments. Like most in his trade, Logic is a master of ebb and crescendo that keeps the crowd bumping. One continuous song that was decidedly un-shazamable had pieces of Hendrix's Fire, some Blood Sweat and Tears intro as well as other slightly recognizable snippets. One young hipster highfived me and remarked how cool it was that an oldster like me was enjoying the set. I nodded in agreement, but could have lectured him on the fact that I have seen Logic many times before, probably when this kid was in diapers. No matter, live music is in the ear of the beholder.

Muhal Richard Abrams Quintet 2/24/17 Crowell Hall Wesleyan CFA Middletown

Dr Muhal Richard Abrams has been involved in the jazz scene for over 60 years. A
legendary pianist, Abrams is co-founder of the Chicago based AACM ( Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). The AACM is responsible for connecting jazz to youth in communities around the country, by providing access ,safe concert spaces, and mentoring of the next generation of creative musicians. The quintet was Abrams on piano, Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Bryan Carrott on vibes, Reggie Nicholson on drums, and John Hebert on bass. The set started with Abrams using mallets on the piano strings, he looked like someone's grandpa checking a distributor cap. He slid back into a solo before yielding to Finlayson then Carrott then Hebert. I have witnessed many icons at this venue: Charles Lloyd, Henry Threadgill, Don Byron, and Anthony Braxton among others. Abrams and the AACM were at the forefront of the free jazz world and it was obvious by his command of piano. I have seen Carrott with the Lounge Lizards and with Dave Holland and the full vibes sound was on full display with the beautiful acoustics of this venue. Hebert is a staple at Firehouse 12 and his bowed and plucked solo sounded like a chainsaw being thrown down a flight of stairs (which I know he'll take as a compliment). The set was two long pieces that focused on solos and improv from each member. Abrams is an icon, and in his 80s, it was a treat to see him share his vision to a crowd of about 300. Sitting in front of me was a crew of students, probably musicians, whose jazz knowledge and reverence that I eavesdropped on, was astounding. It was comforting to hear that a new generation of appreciators is out there and listening.