Ari Shine, Adrienne Pierce and Chris Jennings @ the Red Room (3/8/13)

There were some big shows this night.  While Neurolux hosted Thao with the Get Down Stay Down and Treefort alumni Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, the Venue hosted punk stalwarts the Swingin' Utters.  I grew interested in this folk-leaning Red Room show, however, after receiving a press release on it.  Then, after I'd listened to Ari Shine's latest album on Spotify, I was certain that this was the show to see.

Apparently, no one else reached that conclusion.  I counted thirteen people when I reached the Red Room.  The crowd never got higher than twenty, if that.

Chris Jennings opened the night.  He was a little nervous, he admitted at the start of his set.  "Just drink more whiskey, man!" somebody in the crowd shouted.  "That's what I'm doing," he replied.  "It's not working."  I dunno, though--something seemed to be doing the trick.  Both his singing and guitar-playing sounded smoother and steadier than they did at the Crux back in January.  His "He Stopped Loving Her Today" cover was still a little awkward, but he did a pretty good job on "Bartender's Blues."  Meanwhile, his originals still had a plainspoken charm to them.

Adrienne Pierce played a set of her songs next with Ari Shine backing her up.  Her impeccably crafted pop-tunes brought back fond memories of Rilo Kiley.  Pierce's lyrics were more grounded and sensible than Jenny Lewis's, however, and her sweet, light, firm voice was all her own.  Personal favorite: "Winner Takes All," a cruelly kind/kindly cruel put-down of social-climbing arrogance.  Would make a nice companion piece to "It's a Hit."

Ari Shine closed out the night with a set of his own material.  My ears have grown so accustomed to perfectly imperfect voices (Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, etc.) that this gentleman's smooth, roots-flavored tunes and pleasant, polished croon raised some red flags for authenticity early on.  However, since he boasts lyrics as real as anything I've heard this side of Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, it didn't take long for me to take a shine to him (sorry, couldn't resist).  I was disappointed that he didn't play the lovingly detailed matriarch portrait "Best of Her Days."  Still, I was grateful to hear "Welcome to the Biz," a white-collar companion piece to Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues," and "Ninety Nine," an Occupy Wall Street homage that could stand tall next to James McMurtry's "We Can't Make It Here."

You can find info on these musicians on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Wes Malvini and the Red Room.

Grandma Kelsey, Gregory Rawlins and Chris Jennings @ the Crux; Rose's Pawn Shop @ Neurolux (1/13/13)

Last Sunday, I violated one of the standing orders of this blog: I chose a show composed entirely of acts I'd already seen over one featuring groups I hadn't encountered before.  In my defense, I should explain that I'd listened to a few songs by Rose's Pawn Shop, the headlining act at Neurolux, and been left unimpressed.  They just felt too slick, too facile--the work of guys who reckoned that alt-country/Americana was the surest way to a guy's wallet and a girl's pants.  I like my indie-roots stuff with a little more spunk, a little more warmth, a little more idiosyncrasy.

So, yeah--Grandma Kelsey and Gregory Rawlins.

When I arrived at the Crux, I counted a little over forty people there.  The crowd looked composed mainly of twenty-somethings with a few folks in their thirties and forties sprinkled around.

I was a little late getting down there, so I only caught the last three songs of Chris Jennings's opening set.  From what I heard, however, the guy seems to be coming along pretty well.  Both his singing and his guitar playing sounded more assured.  His "He Stopped Loving Her Today" cover still sounded a little awkward, but hey, it took the Possum himself a while to nail that one.

Gregory Rawlins played next.  His clean, firm tenor and well-schooled country-blues tunes sounded as good as they did at the Red Room's Eastern Oregon Invasion if not better.  Not only that, the crowd's respectful silence enabled me to hear more of Rawlins's well-observed, well-phrased lyrics this time around.  Personal favorites included one number about wanting to romance a lady dishwasher and "Going to Bed Sober," a portrait of the artist as a young screw-up.

Grandma Kelsey closed out the night at the Crux.  Seeing her here, I was struck again by just how fine a balance her music strikes.  Push it a little this way or that and it could turn smug or cloying or maudlin.  As they stand, however, her evergreen melodies, ruminative lyrics and modest yet transported vocals are utterly disarming.  By just strumming her guitar and singing, Grandma Kelsey managed to seal every pair of lips and draw all eyes and ears to her.  A truly unique talent.

I'd planned to head down to Nocturnum at the Red Room after the Crux show, but a gentleman whose taste I respect persuaded me to stop by Neurolux first and check out the last forty minutes of Rose's Pawn Shop's set.  This Los Angeles-based group clearly had talent to spare.  Their honey-drawl vocals, sharp guitar solos, soaring violin, swift basswork and high-octane drumming whipped the surprisingly large crowd into an impressive frenzy.  They tangoed smoothly through Tom Waits's "Jockey Full of Bourbon" and ripped up Woody Guthrie's "Do Re Mi" but good.  Their most telling cover, however, was their finale: Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight."  That textbook guilty pleasure seemed to encapsulate this band's music: it was polished and fun but too bland for regular listening.

You can find info on these acts on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Duck Club Presents.

JamesPlaneWreck, Storie Grubb and the Holy Wars and Chris Jennings @ Neurolux (12/11/12)

JamesPlaneWreck and Storie Grubb and the Holy Wars.  Admittedly, the pairing struck me as a little odd at first--kinda like putting together Lynyrd Skynyrd and Neil Young (though they actually really liked each other, believe it or not).  But hey, I wasn't gonna complain about seeing two excellent local bands on the same night.

There were about twenty-five people at Neurolux when I got down there.  I counted a little over thirty by the time that JamesPlaneWreck took the stage.  Pretty modest, but decent enough.

Starting off the night was local musician Chris Jennings, who debuted as a solo act with this set (he played bass in the Caldwell group Lakefriend up until a couple of months ago).  This performance had plenty of rough edges: Jennings's basic picking and strumming wandered off beat, he forgot lyrics occasionally and he looked pretty darn nervous in general ("I'm a little bit shaky," he admitted with a grin at one point).  All the same, he definitely showed potential.  His simple tunes and unaffectedly plainspoken lyrics went together nicely with his multiple George Jones covers.  Also, while Jennings was no match for Jones vocally (who is?), his subdued delivery had a certain charm to it (don't know about that faux-twang, though).  I'll be interested to see where the man goes from here.  Maybe he could do some duets with Kailie Leggett.

Storie Grubb and the Holy Wars played next.  Their spot on this bill attuned my ears to the elements of folk and country that run through their melodies and riffs.  This set was also noteworthy as the debut of Dustin Jones (The Hand, The Evil Wine Show) on bass.  The man certainly didn't waste time making his presence felt: the casually expert interplay between Jones's muscular basslines, Storie Grubb's jangly guitar and Bruce Maurey's intricate drumwork added a whole new dimension to the group's older material.  It also gave them the confidence to venture out into some lyrical instrumental passages.  Meanwhile, Matthew Vorhies's accordion floated on top as serenely as ever.  Luna Michelle's tambourine jabbed in and out skillfully, and her lovely harmonies continued to temper the smart abrasiveness of Storie Grubb's vocals.  A great band is getting even better.

JamesPlaneWreck closed out the night with their best performance yet.  Aaron Smith's rough vocals sounded more assured than ever.  Shane Brown's twangy leads zipped and stung.  Shaun Shireman's bass kept the music gliding along.  Andrew Bagley let off enough dynamite for two drummers.  Their indelible tunes, chugging guitars and thunderous rhythms got people on their feet and dancing.  When the band reached the chorus of the anthemic "Fuckin' with Ghosts" (which they changed to "Walkin' With Ghosts" for this show--they were being broadcast on Radio Boise), the crowd sang along loudly.  No doubt about it: this is one of Boise's best bands.

You can find info on these acts on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Radio Boise.