I’m writing this before the new year, in a 2019 that’s old and cold. Late-night raw rain is pummeling the roof, so this seems like a perfect time to relive some bright and warm highlights of the concertgoing year.
Singer/songwriter Chris Weisman appeared at the Root Cellar (now called 10Forward) in Greenfield back in February. His 30-song album “Everybody’s Old” was just out, and he played 22 of the new tunes for a rapt crowd. “Thank you for listening so good,” he said with a smile at one point.
Weisman’s a prolific home recorder (he released three 30-song albums in 2019) and his live performances are so rare, I make it a point to attend every one. They’re simple-seeming affairs: he sits on a chair, his right leg crossed over his left, and sings while gently playing a nylon string guitar. But his songs belong to their own universe. The lyrics swirl like playful poems; his unorthodox melodies and harmonies make mazes that suddenly set you free with the final chord, note, or sentiment. Six of his albums are available on his Bandcamp page; for an accessible starting point, try the song “The Sun Comes Back” (on the Transparency album).
Robyn Hitchcock played two full sets at the Stone Church in Brattleboro in April. He loved the sound of the venue and said so early on in the show, in honest awe, admitting how he was able to hit notes he hadn’t been able to reach in years. The show was a longtime fan’s dream — in great voice, he sang songs from throughout his four-decade career, including the all-time pop gem “The Queen of Eyes” (from his old band The Soft Boys), and didn’t skimp on his trademark surreal between-song banter. The place was packed, with people hooting happily.
Stereolab was one of my favorite bands of the ‘90s — I feel lucky I got to see them play in their very early days at Amherst College in 1993, before word really got out (maybe 30 people were at the show). The band suffered a serious loss when guitarist/vocalist Mary Hansen died in 2002, and the group called it a day in 2009. I never thought they’d play live again, but guitarist Tim Gane and vocalist Laetitia Sadier reformed the band early in 2019 and their comeback tour included a sold-out show at the regal Royale in Boston back in September.
They opened with “Anamorphose,” a metronomic one-chord song that slowly builds, adding melodies on top of melodies, like a bright summer day going from warm to hot. I found myself wiping tears away with my sleeve. Hansen’s gentle presence could never be replaced, but seeing Stereolab back at it felt very right, and their strong set was full of songs from their most popular albums (the band has been re-releasing their Elektra Records ‘90s output, with bonus tracks and generously detailed liner notes). “Ping Pong,” “Infinity Girl,” “Brakhage,” “Lo Boob Oscillator,” and especially the powerful surge of the repetitious “Crest” were all top moments. It ended up being the best show I’d seen the band play since that early gig.
Jerks On the Loose, the local trio that expertly and lovingly performs songs by The Roches, did a short set at the Flo Ho Ho holiday concert last month at the Florence VFW. Their version of Terre Roche’s a cappella “Star of Wonder” was so beautifully sung I had to go outside and give the experience some space… I didn’t want any other music to muck it up.
Honorable mention goes to Joe Jackson’s show at the Academy of Music in May. The liner notes to his 1980 record “Beat Crazy” contained a dour message from Jackson: “This album represents a desperate attempt to make some sense of Rock and Roll. Deep in our hearts, we knew it was doomed to failure. The question remains: Why did we try?” But there he was on stage, 39 years later, offering some uplifting answers — like when he sent the crowd into a frenzy with his manic pop thriller “I’m the Man.” One particular fan was in such deliriously happy spirits that he ran up and down the aisles punching the air. What a joy. I started to get emotional, seeing Jackson kinking his body with punky passion as if four decades hadn’t passed since he first wrote and played the song.
For the encore, Jackson and the band (which included his longtime bassist/vocalist Graham Maby) did his biggest U.S. hit, “Steppin’ Out,” in its original arrangement, never before attempted on stage (Jackson had played all the instruments himself on the original recording). They performed it in all its 1982 glory, using Jackson’s vintage Korg Rhythm 55 drum machine (carried out with mock pomp by a white-gloved roadie), programmed synth bass, two keyboards and good ol’ glockenspiel. The sparkling recording was recreated live on stage piece by piece before our ears and eyes, like getting to see the secrets behind a magic trick.
Ken Maiuri can be reached at clublandcolumn@gmail.com.