Craig Finn at PJ's Lager House 2/8/12

“So what do you think about the A.L. Central this year?” the always boisterous (and die-hard Twins fan) Craig Finn chirped from the stage. “I think the Twins will be right there with you….in early May.” he joked. Tiger Stadium is long gone but Corktown was full of life on Wednesday for the 8th show of Finn’s first solo tour (supporting his new record Clear Heart, Full Eyes) at PJ’s Lager House.

Most of the crowd undoubtedly know Craig Finn as the animated maestro that has been fronting The Hold Steady for the last 8 years. He lives in Brooklyn these days, but his roots are in Minneapolis where he cut his teeth fronting Lifter Puller in the scene that rose up from the ashes of Twin-Cities legends The Replacements and Hüsker Dü. The influence of these bands is something he won’t hide from or apologize for, and his songwriting has always been part homage to them, part something new and modern – with some Springsteenish narratives and (with his solo material) a bit of good alt-country twang.

The guy knows how to work a room, how to connect with an audience. His animated, flailing arms and bulging eyes combined with his deadpan singing/preaching delivery aren’t unlike your friend on his 7th Jameson’s, vehemently explaining to you why later Aerosmith stands up to the early stuff. Except Craig Finn’s message is no bullshit. Weather he’s painting a picture of life as a broke musician living in a dump (Rented Room) or a well meaning friend moving in on a convict’s kid and girlfriend (Jeremiah’s Blues) It’s convincing and believable. You’ve been there. You know these people. They’re part of living a Midwestern existence – working, partying, going to shows (and ball games) and dealing with messed up lives and messed up friends.

Fans hoping to hear solo-renditions of Hold Steady classics might have left disappointed as he chose to avoid that catalog, instead focusing on material from the new record and some unreleased stuff. Some of the new songs wouldn’t be out of place on a Hold Steady record, however (like the Cheap-Tricky single Honolulu Blues) but others offer more space, with primal rhythms that are a bit of a departure.

The set at the Lager House consisted of deep, warm textures and tones provided mainly by the pedal-steel and Fender Jazzmaster of guitarist Ricky Ray Jackson and sparse percussion of drummer James Stevens. Rounding out the band (dubbed Some Guns) were guitarist Falcon Valdez and bassist Alex Livingston (Grand Champeen). Finn led the band and the audience on a journey through peaks and valleys. It was a rolling cadence of great up-tempo fun (New Friend Jesus) and droning, slower moods (Western Pier). It was a stroll through the scenes and characters from Craig Finn’s life and imagination in a well balanced, brilliantly executed night of entertainment.

Craig Finn & Some Guns at PJ's Lager House 2/8/12

Craig Finn’s Website

The Hold Steady

Photos "taken" by Ethan Milner

Live music has a way of re-contextualizing its performer.  An example that comes to mind is the “art-metal” outfit Kylesa, who so cunningly convince of their talent by way of excellent recorded production value.  See them once live, however, and marvel at your newfound respect for engineering and production.  Live performance is another beast entirely.

Thus I was apprehensive about what I should expect from a Cass McCombs live show.  McCombs has a strong output of recorded work, including the very complete album Catacombs.  His other records, however, tend to have a few standout tracks but a lot of imbalance, his most recent effort Humor Risk being a prime example.  Would he play a great set incorporating “the hits,” or deliver a recalcitrant one of only new material?  Could McCombs pull off that sneaky falsetto on “County Line?”  Would he play “I Went to the Hospital?”  Would the fireman’s ball in the Crofoot Ballroom spill over and turn the show into a bacchanalian feast of untold ecstasies? So many questions!

Luckily, seeing a show at Pontiac’s Pike Room is rarely a wasted trip, even if the bands aren’t so good.  Nearly every show I’ve seen at the Crofoot complex has sounded stellar, and this one was no exception.  

So I’ve had a week to ruminate on last Friday’s Sea and Cake show at the Magic Stick, nearly get carjacked, and forget the world in studies and other distractions (such as watching hours of Batman reruns.) But, the time has come to recount you, dear reader, my thoughts on the night of November fourth.

So, to be honest, this isn’t exactly the type of show I would have immediately gone to on my own, which is exactly why I chose to cover it- either I get to turn in a snarky review, or I get to be surprised at how much I enjoy the show. Its a win-win for me.

Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by the performances. Its so rare these days that I go see many out of town or national acts that I forgot that when they say “Doors at 8pm” they actually mean it. (I can recall clearly, times where in previous bands I was told to be at the bar to “load in” at X o’clock, only to wait for an hour and a half in the dead of winter because bar staff had not arrived. That’s a Detroit show for you.) So I arrived part way into the first set.

Up first was Adam’s Castle. Upon hearing them play, I realized I had crossed paths with their music years ago. Turns out they are Michigan ex-pats, now located in New York, which is alright if you like saxophones. I had seen them years prior around town. They remained conceptually the same as years ago – a powerful rhythm section held together by melodies on keyboard, each member of the trio propelling the other as the songs, which worked like movements in a sense, progressed, almost always to a big crescendo. A major difference, which keyboardist Sammy would later point out to me, was the addition of an electric organ. Laden with effects, this instrument added plenty of colors to the palette of this already talented and interesting trio.

After the first set it was time to go downstairs. After five minutes of just leaning against one of the poles in the Stick with no one to talk to, girls start to give you creepy looks if you don’t move around. So, I headed downstairs to grab a beer. (Yes, there is a beer that is technically cheaper downstairs, fellow frugally minded drunks.) When I ended up back upstairs, I finally started to see some folks that I usually run into at shows, as opposed to the 45 year old dudes and 22 year old vegan-girl-wearing-leather-jacket set I had observed upon arrival.

Next, Brokeback took the stage. The graying band leader said about 7 words throughout the course of the set and two of them were “Thanks.” Perhaps some of it was that he was visibly a bit older than his compatriots, but I’m guessing it was his excellent guitar work that lent him a certain shaman-like quality throughout the performance. His lead work reminded me a bit of Neil Young, or a young Carlos Santana, but the tone was distinctly more south-western influenced. The band was solid. The songs, generally arranged simply, usually two or three parts, repeated and then the song would be done. It was when the band really stretched out that you were able to kind of zone into it with them, and although I usually like bands that draw an audience in with stage antics, it was rewarding to have a more cerebral experience with a live band.

Finally, after about a half hour or so, the headliner, The Sea and Cake arrived onstage to little fanfare except the applause of the crowd. The crowd was fairly warm from the start, but like myself, it seemed to take them about 3-4 songs to really begin to get excited. The Sea and Cake, it seemed, were just warming up. I was impressed with the interesting guitar work and interplay between Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt, and the rhythm section was amazing, with obvious praise due to drummer John McEntire, and although a more subtle force, as the show wound on, I couldn’t help but notice that bassist Eric Claridge was always exactly where he should be.

A nice thing about going to a show featuring a band with almost 20 years of history, all of which you are ignorant to, is that it really doesn’t matter if the song is their first major breakthrough, or a newer track that the older fanbase hasn’t adopted yet. That was sort of my experience. At about the halfway mark of their set, Prekop, who has been a man of few, but charming words thus far, steps to the mic and says “This is probably the first song we ever wrote.” They start into a fairly uptempo number, whose name I never learned but I enjoyed quite a bit. But, the next song, which featured a sample looped over the band was a stunner- It stretched out, into a very impressive bit of guitar play by Prewitt, and an intense drum bit by McEntire- neither could be fully called a “solo” because it really felt like the right thing to do for the song, not just a jammy show off moment . If sources in the crowd are correct, the song was “The Moonlight Butterfly,” the title track to their most recent LP. From that point forward, having fully captured my respect and attention, the rest of the set was a revelation. A great set from a group of great veteran performers. They played for a bit over an hour and did a fairly generous encore, because as Prekop said, “After all, it is friday night.”

It was an absolutely great time, even if sometimes I had to squint to make sure I wasn’t at the Double Door circa 1999.

DVD Bonus Feature:

In between Brokeback and Sea and Cake, I stepped downstairs to the Garden Bowl and caught a good chunk of the Wax Idols set. Wax Idols is apparently a California group, formed around Hether Fortune, who has what seems to be a revolving door line-up for her sounds. Point is, it sounded like the Jesus and Mary Chain doing a Ramones album with female vocals. In other words, it was loud, treble-laden, and fucking awesome. Check them out!

Cave-In-Rock, IL. August 11th-14th, 2011.

Photo by Spencer Ashby

When Steve Barman (of Steve Barman Show fame) openly invited a willing soul to document this years Gathering Of The Juggalos for Motorcityrocks, a really weird lightbulb lit up my brain. In an attempt to humanize this misunderstood subculture that finds itself at the butt of many jokes, I requested press passes and assembled a production crew in preparations for a story on this years Gathering for Motorcityrocks TV.

What sucks is that I broke my leg in two places in late June, leaving me unable to walk for the entirety of the summer. Not willing to risk further injury (I’m traveling in the fall), I’m deciding to craft this story over the next year, interviewing those who have been involved with Juggalo culture from its early days and documenting the events leading up to next years Gathering.

In my place, I sent a trustworthy crew down to this years Gathering to establish relationships with the Juggalo community. I told them to get around, check it out, meet people and conduct research via participant observation. Here is what they found.
-Nick George

Photo by Spencer Ashby

***

Atmosphere’s Crofoot Ballroom show in Pontiac, Sunday evening, was an event worthy of reflection. Not only did Slug and Ant bring their high energy to the stage, but Rhymesayers Entertainment as a whole has represented their strength in growing numbers.

Of course, much of the Atmosphere show in Pontiac was dedicated to The Family Sign – the group’s latest installation of hits. As with most underground favorites, fans were already familiar with the latest album. In fact, most would be embarrassed not knowing the words to each song.

This tight-knit circle of Atmosphere aficionados made for an intimate and knowledgeable music experience. Chanting, singing, and rapping were more than encouraged.

Alongside Atmosphere was Rhymesayers west coast contingent, Evidence, who celebrated the release of Cats & Dogs – his label debut. Not only did he keep up with Atmosphere’s on-stage prowess, but easily matched-up with crowd interaction – and a serious set of lungs.

DJ Babu of the legendary Dilated Peoples, and long-time Rhymesayers’ affiliate, Prof, accompanied Evidence. Their chemistry remains undeniable, and high energy persisted throughout their evening’s showcase – the ingredients of a strong label family.

Columbus, Ohio’s Blueprint is yet another Rhymesayer to unexpectedly steal the show. His latest release, April’s Adventures In Counterculture, is a testament to rock/pop – without forgetting the hip-hop.

Slug and Ant obliged the audience with old favorites (such as a lengthy tribute to God Loves Ugly), and even thanked the audience for their loyalty, and support. It’s incredible to know that this group has been making hip-hop in some fashion since 1989.

The Family Vacation tour features guitarist Nate Collis and keyboardist Erick Anderson in order to revive classics with a live twist. This full-band freak-show incorporates what many find lacking in most mainstream hip-hop – instruments.

This tour should be on any hip-hop connoisseur’s to-do-list. If you haven’t had the pleasure of a full-blown hip-hop extravaganza – Atmosphere is the answer.