I guess I’ve been living under a short bus, because I didn’t discover Jay Brannan until Wednesday night when I saw him at the Highline Ballroom with Chris Pureka (who I assumed was male when I saw her name on the ticket). In case you’re wondering what kind of music they play, Pureka gave a better description than I could when she said, “Jay Brannan and I are pretty similar. His songs are sad and depressing wrapped in joy and my songs are sad and depressing wrapped in sad and depressing.”*

It was my first time at the Highline Ballroom, a mostly seated venue, with some standing room by the bar. Pureka compared it to mystery dinner theatre, which again was a fairly accurate description. I always enjoy sitting at concerts, because that way I can actually see, but the $10 minimum should be stated on the tickets, as other venues do. Not that $10 is so much money, but if you’re not planning on drinking and you already ate dinner, it’s a small annoyance. Overall, though, it was the perfect venue for the show, intimate, yet spacious at the same time.

Pureka looked very young and small when she approached the stage, hunched over her guitar, but when she started singing, she commanded the room. She has a very relaxed staged presence, chatting casually to the audience in between numbers.

I didn’t know who Jay Brannan was until my friend told me about this concert a week ago. She told me I’d love him. When he walked out in an I Heart (actual heart, not the word) Guacamole shirt, I knew she was right. During the show, I became a total Jay Brannan fan, although I get the feeling most of the audience in the club already were. Brannan kept talking about how everyone had heard his stories before because he’s played in New York so many times. This wasn’t arrogance on his part. Most of the audience did seem to be repeat offenders, but I didn’t feel alienated. He told enough stories that I didn’t feel cheated. Not only does he have a beautiful falsetto voice and well-crafted songs, but the guy is hilarious, and pretty to look at. His asides were as entertaining as the music itself, but I won’t write those here, as he seems worried about running out of material.

He started the set accompanied by a cellist and violinist (unfortunately I didn’t have pen and paper to write their names down), then played solo, then brought them back out. He even asked for audience participation in the form of clanking glasses during “At First Sight.” Most were happy to participate, some a little too enthusiastic by trying to play throughout the song rather than just the chorus.

Jay Brannan “goddamned”

Currently my favorite thing about living in New York City is that when I learn of an impossibly amazing band, it is like guaranteed they will be playing in the city within two weeks. Most recently and notably, a little duo called The Dodos were brought to my attention about two weeks ago and I’ve been patiently obsessed enamored since. Thusly, The Dodos were handed to me on a delicious musical platter in the form of a show yesterday evening at Sound Fix in Brooklyn’s hipster mecca Williamsburg, preceding a show at Death By Audio.

The venue itself sucked as far as venues go, because it’s really a record store sutured to a quaint, candelabra-lit bar in the back. The stage? Not really. I claimed my spot along the side wall opposite the bar (poor planning), lined with benches and tables; I propped myself on the bench’s backing and still couldn’t really see much beyond the audience hovering over where the band seemed to be standing. I did, however, manage a sweet view of drummer Logan Kroeber who sustained impressive levels of enthusiasm for such a modest little gig.

The show was short but free, so no complaints—and bonus points for squeezing my favorite track on the recently released and Pitchfork-praised Visiter in their six-song set (that song being “The Season,” if you care). Plowing through the first three tracks on Visiter—beseeching no applause—Kroeber and vocalist/guitarist/other-of-two Meric Long (both supported by a third tour-hand and synth-xylo-enthusiast) erupted with energy by means of their respective instruments. They threw in a track from their debut album Beware of the Maniacs for good measure.

Normally I’d knock a band for playing too true to their recordings (and in chronological order, no less), but I’m still running on the novelty high, so bonus points all around! The Dodos are playing a full show (for $10 this time, the capitalists) Sunday at the Mercury Lounge. Check out their MySpace page to test the folksy waters.

The Dodos - The Season

Tucked away in the back streets of London’s Marylebone area is a little hidden gem that’s home toome of the most interesting new singer-songwriters the city has to offer. The Perseverance Pub is a pretty unsuspecting place. Your standard English pub; grubby carpets and brown wall paper all included in the free entry.

Tonight (late November) the downstairs area is reserved for an old folks Xmas party and they seem to be enjoying all the free sherry & cucumber sandwiches they can. The upstairs’ venue would feel ram-packed with all of about 15 people in it. I’m one of about half that number tonight but it feels homely & inviting. Noise from the old folks downstairs aside, I’m ready for some introverted singer-songwriters to strut!

Cellar Door goes on stage, quite unassumingly; scratching away at guitar leads and whispering to each other which songs they should do first. When she’s asked how she’d best describe her music, by a slightly out of place looking compare, singer Aimee Grinter hushes “we like to let the music do the talking”. Tell it like it is.

It’s difficult to get sucked into acoustic music at times because it’s a hard listen and it requires all of your attention. Cellar Door don’t have that problem at all. Not for me at least. Beautiful vocal melodies and clever witty lyrics.

I’m happy to say this isn’t the usual “oh it hurts so bad” singer-songwriter rhetoric, the lyrics themselves are not what you might expect to hear over the technical guitar playing of Mike Brown. They’re very matter of fact, very English in all the best ways. Scenes about drinking in a car park with your friends when you’re too young to get into the pub are crossed with a sticking “you don’t need me like I need you.”

And it’s this crossing of styles that happens throughout their set that makes this duo work so well. Vocally, I’m reminded a little of Joni Mitchell & maybe also Gillian Welch. The guitar playing goes from ambient to a harsh blues in a stroke so I’m a little lost for comparisons in that sense. Anyway, don’t get stuck on these feeble comparisons. Go and listen to this group for yourself. They deserve your attention immediately.

I can’t help but wonder how outstanding this would sound with a band & some strings behind them. Although if they did that at the Perseverance Pub there wouldn’t be much space left in the pace for the audience!

Cellar Door - Comets

I’m a big fan of a talented, ensemble band. The New Pornographers are always a solid live show, especially when all the members come out for the tour.

The set-list was comprised of a pretty even mix of old and new songs, making sure to feature Dan Bejar (of Destroyer) and Neko Case with “Testament to Youth in Verse” and “Letter From an Occupant.” With Case’s and Bejar’s distinctive vocals it’s hard to imagine the band touring without them, but they have. Bejar stumbles across the stage, beer bottle in hand, and then wails with that voice. It’s shows like this that make me think, this is why you go to a show. It’s that minute, when Neko croons backed by a full band that gives me chills. They aren’t my typical musical fare, they are peppy, and way upbeat. But they have that something that only comes from a live show. There’s an earnestness and a joy backed by all that musical talent.

Opening for the New Pornographers was Lavender Diamond, a hippy, indie, pop, folk foursome with a definite schtick…or maybe not.

The lead singer gives the impression she could be a fourteen year old, and babbles softly on stage about peace and love. “Don’t let anyone tell you that there can’t be peace on earth.” Her act is punctuated with sugar smiles and curtsies, but they are also on Matador - so how much do you believe in the act? In between the more poppy numbers there are stark near-ballads, that mixed with the naive school-girl vibe gives off a creepy Twin Peaks-esqe aire. But for all this, they totally won this listener over. Call it the magic of the live show, I wasn’t ready to be a fan, but I left one. Check them out for yourself and see what you think.

This video shows only one half of the Judith Owen experience. The other half consists of exaggerated gestures, poking fun at her own music, and telling long-winded stories about how her emotional scars, all with a British accent and precise comic timing and enthusiastic sarcasm.

“Ok everybody, let’s get down…let’s have a bad time together,” says Owen before she launches into one of her “sad” songs.

It’s hard to believe she can be that funny, especially when Owen comes across as a Tori Amos who sings more about feelings than about societal and political issues.

But it’s true. Owen’s show last night (Aug. 22 in Cambridge, MA) was less of a concert and more of a VH1 Storyteller show, only with more laughs and vulgarity. It was half a concert, half a stand-up comedy routine.

Check out this video where Owen digresses and talks about her husband (the Simpsons and Spinal Tap’s Harry Shearer) and a strange circus.

Or this video where she dances between the line of seriousness and hilarity when she talks about having compassion for others and how she only makes music for the attention.

Why does she do it? “So I’m filled with the meaninglessness of applause. Yes! Louder people! LOUDER!”

Demanding more accolades from your audience can be seen as desperate move, but in terms of Owen, its simply tomfoolery.

In her over two-hour set (complete with an encore that included a cover of Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water”), Owen played every single song off her “Happy This Way” album, and made sure to explain whatever emotion or hilarious story was involved in writing it.

For the song “Love Has Two Faces,” Owen described it as a “true love song” and told a story about her husband.

“What they don’t tell you, is that when you love someone that deeply, you can also hate them just as deep. Harry and I were in the kitchen, virtually in a stab-off. He’s upset because he thinks I moved his Bose handbook or something. The thing is, you don’t hate people you don’t care deeply about…unless that person is the president.”

To this, the crowd erupted into laughter and, once more, I’m reminded why the live music can be so fulfilling, surprising and inspiring. Had I not been there, I would have missed Owen’s cover of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” which, as you can imagine, should be experienced by all female “Rocky” fans out there.

Owen’s next, and only, show is on Aug. 24 at Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA.

Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello are pairing up for a quick 13-stop tour in the fall. Dylan will headline the shows around the same time that a 51 track retrospective entitled “Dylan” is scheduled for release on October 1. The shows will be the first solo appearances for Costello in 12 years. Amos Lee will open the shows.

• September 22: Duluth, GA — Gwinnett Center
• September 23: Clemson, SC — Littlejohn Coliseum
• September 25: Norfolk, VA — Convocation Center
• September 27: Charlottesville, VA — John Paul Jones Arena
• September 28: Columbia, MD — Merriweather Post Pavilion
• September 29: Kingston, RI — Ryan Center
• September 30: Bridgeport, CT — Arena at Harbor Yard
• October 2: Worcester, MA — DCU Center
• October 4: Portland, ME — Cumberland County Civic Center
• October 5: Manchester, NH — Verizon Wireless Arena
• October 6: Albany, NY — Times Union Center
• October 8: Syracuse, NY — War Memorial
• October 9: Rochester, NY — Gordon Field House

The Town Hall is a great venue and it also has a very interesting origin. Excuse me as I paraphrase/lift from their web site. The theatre was commissioned as a meeting place by the League for Political Education, a group whose purpose was to facilitate passage of the19th Amendment- women’s right to vote. Town Hall was designed to reflect the democratic principles of the League; box seats were eliminated and no seats had an obstructed view - giving birth to the phrase “not a bad seat in the house.” The Hall opened on January 12, 1921 (less than a year after the 19th Amendment was ratified) and over the years the venue has hosted some of the best and most controversial musicians and politicos.

I have never attended a lecture there but it’s a wonderful place to see a show. The sound is excellent and the crowd is (usually) there to pay attention. Not always the case in this part of the world. Times Square (Town Hall is on 43rd Street) is certainly a different animal some 86 years later- but we braved the tourists this past Friday to catch the first evening of Bright Eyes’ seven-night sold-out stand.

Gillian (pronounced “Gill” ian, not “Jill” ian to my surprise) Welch and David Rawlings opened the evening with an hour set that featured material from across Gillians’ recordings including; “Orphan Girl,” “My First Lover,” “Elvis Presley Blues,” and “Everything Is Free” – a song that according to Welch IS what you think it’s about. Other highlights included “No One Knows My Name” and “I Want To Sing That Rock And Roll” The two shared a camaraderie that was confident and comfortable (try saying that three times fast). There was plenty of great vocal harmonizing and lead guitar parts that were smoothly complimentary, if slightly canned. The duo closed with an admirable performance of the Johnny Cash/June Carter classic “Jackson.”

Bright Eyes took the stage as a massive band. In addition to the three permanent members Mike Mogis, Nate Walcott and Conor Oberst the evening’s ensemble also included two drummers (one being Janet Weiss), and a mini orchestra featuring cellos, woodwinds and violins. There were probably about 12 or 13 folks on stage. Oberst looked sharp in an all white suit, as did the rest of his entourage, also dressed all in white. The opening set leaned heavily on Bright Eyes’ most recent release Cassadaga featuring “Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)”, “Hot Knives,” “Middleman” and “Make a Plan to Love Me” which Oberst introduced as a song about being in love with a workaholic. A rocking version of “Four Winds,” the fiddle driven first single from the new record was probably the highlight from the new material. A cool element to show were the projected images being shown behind the band. An artist used several different mediums including markers, paint, light, and even an Etch A Sketch to create a live backdrop which was actually quite fun to watch.

As promised there was a special guest, the room went crazy when Lou Reed took the stage and joined the band for performances of “Dirty Blvd.” and “Waiting For My Man”. It’s just about the most New York thing we could think of commented Oberst. “First Day of My Life” was the lone representitve from 2005’s excellent I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning in the first set- but it was a cool revved up version fully utilizing the whole band. Obrest also pulled out “The Calendar Hung Itself…” from 2003’s Fevers and Mirrors, dedicating the cut to only person who ever broke his heart. The set concluded with “I Believe in Symmetry” and a simple stripped down version of “Lime Tree” one of my personal favorites from the new album.

The encore saw Welch and Rawlings return to the stage for a cover of Gillian’s “Miss Ohio” and the appropriate closer “Lua” – any New Yorker can relate to trying to get home on a cold night and taxis that just keep turning their lights off. Here’s to town hall and Conor Obrest for continuing the tradition of compelling artistic content.

Here’s a video of Bright Eyes and Lou Reed:

I felt fortunate to be invited to an intimate performance by Yusuf last night at the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle. I’ll tell you all about the show- but I think a little perspective is in order.Steven Demetre Georgiou was born on July 21, 1948. You probably know him as Cat Stevens. Certainly you are familiar with his string of hits including: “Morning Has Broken”, “Peace Train”, “Wild World”, “Father and Son”, and “The First Cut Is the Deepest”. He has sold over 60 million records. But that is just the beginning of the story.

Stevens converted to Islam in 1977. He changed his name Yusuf Islam in 1979 (the year I was born) and walked away from popular music for almost 30 years. He got married, had kids and dedicated himself to educational and charitable efforts. At times there was controversy; he was criticized for comments about Salman Rushdie and was denied entry to the US recently in September of 2004- his name was on the FBI’s no fly list.

About two years ago Yusuf picked up a guitar and began writing music again. This fall Atlantic Records released Yusuf’s first pop record since 1978, An Other Cup.

I have very early memories of listening to Cat Stevens. “Moonshadow” was on a mix tape that a friend had made for my mother. I can remember my sister and I singing along in the car. As a kid it sort of seemed like a goofy song; only later in life would I appreciate its Taoist themes.

Cat’s music is often lumped in with other sensitive male singer/songwriters of the seventies. However, I always thought there was a simplicity and optimism in his work that made it unique. His ability to convey confidence in the concepts of peace and love gave an atypical weight to subjects that often came across as trite in pop music. When I listened to Cat Stevens I felt like I was hearing someone unsure of the means - but confident of the ends. It was a duality I found appealing.

Last night was his first performance in the United States in thirty years.

First let me say that The Allen Room is a great auditorium with wonderful acoustics and an amazing wall of windows behind the performers that looks out over Columbus Circle.

Nic Harcourt, host of the popular KCRW program Morning Becomes Eclectic, introduced Yusuf (to a standing ovation by a capacity crowd of about 350) and conducted a brief interview with him to start the show. Though the story was familiar it was certainly more interesting to hear it from the source. Most interesting to me was when Yusuf talked about being hospitalized, at the age of 19, for tuberculosis. It was during that time that he fist began reading various spiritual texts. He talked about his desire to find a path, and how that was reflected in the music that he would write going forward.

Yusuf opened the show solo with “Maybe There’s a World” followed by his classic, and one of my favorites, “The Wind”. After that a six piece band, including a pianist, percussionist, and backup singers joined him for the reminder of the evening. The set mixed new and old including: Midday, Oh Very Young & In The End.

At that point Harcourt and Yusuf sat down again. Yusuf talked about his introduction to Islam and how it showed him the way he had been searching for. It was a path that required a drastic change in lifestyle. He acknowledged that for years he had denied his talent as musician. Recently he came to accept that music could be compliment and augment his journey. In a humorous moment Yusuf’s cell phone rang- indicating a new voice message.

To me the conversation indicated a change in perspective that has translated to the music on Yusuf’s new album. In the past he wrote as someone seeking a path, in the present he is now writes as someone who has found their way. I suppose thirty years is enough time to allow for that change. Oddly something about the new perspective speaks to me less.

The second half of the set included “Heaven / Where True Love Goes” which incorporates part of Steven’s own “Foreigner Suite”, a cover version of The Animals’ “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and the well intentioned (but in my mind poorly executed) “Indian Ocean” a song written in response to the tsunami tragedy. The band closed the set with the “Peace Train” which seemed relevant as ever. Yusuf dedicated the final number to the late Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records. After another standing ovation Yusuf and his two guitar players returned for an unrehearsed encore of “Father & Son”.

It was quite in experience to hear such familiar songs in such an intimate setting. Yusuf’s voice was great and his backing band was tight. Here’s to finding your path.