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.

Menomena are three guys from Portland who play experimental rock. Really good experimental rock. They are currently on tour to support their most recent CD, and second major album, Friend and Foe, which is on indie-friendly label, Barsuk (mainly known for starting out way-pre-wheresoulmeetsbody-DCFC). To get what gives Menomena their unmistakable sound, band member Brent Knopf created a computer program, DLR, (Digital Looping Recorder) which they use to record various instruments, holding a microphone up while they improvise. So the MAC Powerbook comes to the gig, along with a xylophone, guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, and saxophones.

The anticipation at the Casbah was such that the show sold out before the opening act was done (no small feat in this town). The crowd was into it (another thing that should be noted as no small feat in this town or at this venue). The show was great. More than just hearing the songs recognized from the CD, it felt as though they were being assembled for you, making sense of their many facets and sometimes jarring compatibilities. The guys are great about it too, they aren’t there to bring you into some holier-than-thou-scene or prove what they know and you don’t. They are there to bring you their music, live, to share with their fans how music makes sense to them, how it should be heard. Bring on more Menomena and bring on that sax.

Check out the radness.

In the spirit of this newly opened page, my first post is about a band that brought the fun back. A guy who deserves the title of Best Unexpected Opening Band. We were at the Casbah again to see the Wedding Present, more on their brilliance in posts to come. The Casbah is a live music bar venue, on the same street as the airport, that holds 200+ people. The Casbah can’t be beat if you’re looking for an intimate show.
We, like most people, were leaning against the wall, holding pint glasses, talking, shoegazing, drinking, too cool for school. There were two guys wearing roadie jump suits moving equipment on to the stage: iBook, electric and acoustic guitars, projection screen, and wooden boombox. They moved through the crowd, asking people, face-to-face and eye-to-eye to stand closer, stand a little closer. We were wary, we did not want to follow the guy with the wild eyes, in the white jump-suit with his hair gelled up into one curled spike at the front of his head, we wanted to linger in the back, where you linger for when the opening band sucks, for when you hate them and then you can sneak out, back to the bar, outside for a cigarette, whatever, rolling your eyes.
The two guys stripped off their roadie gear. Now they are Tim Fite and the guy he calls his brother. They bring the alt-country-rock-rap-techno-fusion. They bring glory. We are won over, the crowd is won over. The thing about Tim Fite, the reason he is my first post on this site, is because of what this is all about, the live show. Because even when we looked at each other thinking “what the hell is this?,” we laughed, we yelled with him, we bought CDs, we tried to explain him to our friends. Basically this is a blurb to tell you that I can’t explain Tim Fite. I can just tell you that when I go to a show and I time it wrong and I end up seeing the opening band, at the most, I hope for a quarter of what Tim Fite brought to the Casbah.
Visit his site for downloads and other assorted fun and even if his music ain’t your thing, go see him in New York at the Knitting Factory on June 7th.