Monday, Apr. 05, 2004 | 09:26
Decemberists - Schuba's - 2 April 2004
friday i treked out to Schuba's (Belmont & Southport) to catch the Decemberists. it was a fun show, though i have to admit i dislike toing to shows alone.
the opening act was a guy from eugene, oregon, named Tom Heinl. Tom Heinl plays something he calls "stereoke", which means he records his songs at home, then on stage plays back the tape and sings along with it. were the songs not hilariously funny and clever and witty, this act would fall flatter than the fliers i handed out at Schuba's the night before. he sang about Grizzly Adams, being 5, and love, all with a certain tongue-in-cheek humour that's hard to find today. it didn't hurt that the music is kind of lo-fi cheesy casio lounge and his voice is bordering on vegas Elvis. it was a lot of fun.
following him was a british band called Clearlake. they brought up Thax Douglas to read a poem he'd written for them after the previous night's show, then they played a nervous set. Clearlake is sort of post-shoegazer britpop. they have dynamic songs, moody lyrics, and a knack for sonic experimentation. the songs were good though they felt too short, as though to fit as many songs in the set as they could they were cutting off the endings. a few songs in the singer caught the girl next to me making eyes at him and he blushed, which was kinda cute. i preferred the rhythm guitarist, who on some songs played atmospheric drones. the bass player had a pedal key board that played some sort of drones, though they were hard to find in the mix. the drummer kept good time and it all sounded good. i could tell the singer was nervous--he made a few mistakes here and there and was a bit unsure about his stance at the microphone. still, i'd recommend seeing Clearlake if you get the chance, with or without the Decemberists.
ah, the Decemberists. what a great band. accoridan/keyboard player, a bassist who switches between electric and upright, a female drummer, a slide guitarist who gave us a story about the Alley and whipits, and of course Colin Meloy singing. i've somehow lost my copies of their albums, so i can't tell you off hand what songs they played, but i know i heard Odalisque, and they ended the set with The Tain, a 20 minute epic about a murder (or is it?). Meloy writes these brilliantly evocative songs about seedy characters and places (whores, legionnaires, los angeles, etc.), and the band supports them with everything they have. it was a raucous folk rush, or a vibrant indie-rock romp, or whatever you want to call their music--the bottom line is the show was good, and you should see the Decemberists every chance you get.
