THE MOONDOGGIES, THE URBAN LOUNGE, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 9 p.m., $8
I’ve seen a few Moondoggies shows–a couple of criminally under-attended past shows in Salt Lake City, and a packed gig in Chicago–and they’ve never disappointed, no matter what the size of the crowd. The Seattle roots-rock crew lace their songs with some incredible harmonies as well as genuine grit, and I’m a sucker for that kind of musical approach. The band’s new album, Adios I’m a Ghost, might be their best yet. You’ll hear the influence of obvious benchmarks like Neil Young and Crazy Horse, as well as that of modern folk-rock peers like Fleet Foxes, but it’s also the boldest statement of what The Moondoggies are to date. The addition of multi-instrumentalist Jon Pontrello helps the core original quartet go in some exciting new directions that should be even more pronounced during their always-epic live show. The Hollering Pines and David Williams open the show.
MARY LYNN RAJSKUB, WISEGUYS COMEDY CLUB, Friday & Saturday, Aug. 23-24, 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m., $15
You’ve probably seen Mary Lynn Rajskub on TV or in a movie–she’s been a regular on 24, the newest season of Arrested Development and Mr. Show, and I’ll always remember being introduced to her thanks to the legendary Larry Sanders Show. I had never seen her do standup comedy, though, until Thursday night at Wiseguys, where she proved just as adept at making a audience laugh–on this night, an audience of maybe 75 or 100–as she is at comedic acting. How much of a standup background Rajskub has, I have no idea, but she worked the stage like a pro, interacting with the audience, mixing physical humor with sharply worded jokes, and regaling the crowd with tales of her years waiting tables at a Hard Rock Cafe in her native Michigan, her tepid response to finding out she was pregnant, and her desire to just be “stupid hot.” On a night when a light crowd could have sucked the energy out of the room, Rajskub brought far more to the stage than you’d ever expect from her mostly understated acting roles. I’m guessing the larger weekend crowds will only make her show all the better.
Watching John Prine perform live, the most obvious question that comes to mind is, “How is this guy not bigger?”
Of course, “bigger” is all relative. Prine’s songs have been covered by the likes of Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt, among others, and he’s enjoyed critical accolades and commercial success over his four-decades-plus career. Yet he isn’t revered in the same way as those artists.
He should be, judging by his show at Red Butte Garden Tuesday night. With a bag full of excellent songs that showcase his insistent, unique voice and down-home perspective, Prine led his three-piece band into a stellar set illuminated by a blue moon and the glow of thousands of acolytes.
Prine’s voice has been weathered by time and a bout with cancer in his neck, but it remains a powerful instrument, and the perfect one for delivering his lyrics that manage to be both poetic and easy to connect with at the same time. Starting with “Spanish Pipedream,” Prine took center stage dressed in a black Western suit and abetted with only a guitarist and bass player–the sparse arrangements helping focus the attention on the man’s lyrics to great effect.
A Prine concert serves as a run through some of the best songwriting of the past 40 years, and Tuesday’s show was no exception. “Picture Show” and “Humidity Built the Snowman” came early on, as did “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore;” the follow-up lyric–“it’s already overcrowded from your dirty little war”–as stirring in 2013 as it was when he released his debut in 1971.
Whether strumming a guitar, blowing a harmonica or simply unleashing that gravelly voice, Prine was in fine form throughout, and songs like “Souvenirs,” “Grandpa was a Carpenter” and “Fish and Whistle” were all highlights of the middle of the show.
While the show was a savvy mix of uptempo tunes and ballads, it seemed to roll along at a quick pace. Part of that was due to Prine keeping his between-song banter to a minimum, and part of it was because it was so easy to get lost in a song’s lyrics as he performed.
“It’s a Big Old Goofy World,” “Glory of True Love,” “Hello in There” and “Lake Marie” all hit their marks, and “Bear Creek” and “Killing the Blues” were excellent as well.
That pretty much goes for the entire show, and that’s noteworthy for a performer who will turn 67 this year. You’ll probably have at least a few more opportunities to see Prine play in Salt Lake City. You should make a point of doing just that.
JOHN PRINE, RED BUTTE GARDEN, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m., $50
I was way late to the game on John Prine, only discovering him during his post-throat cancer comeback when I was covering music for The Salt Lake Tribune. That was back around 1999, when Prine put out the excellent In Spite of Ourselves, a set of duets that led me to delve deeper into his vast catalog of excellent songs. It didn’t take long to figure out why Prine is considered a favorite among his fellow songwriters, or why the likes of Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Ben Harper and a who’s who of artists have tried their luck covering his songs through the years. Even so, nothing sounds quite so good as the real thing, and Prine is a fine live performer, whether strumming guitar and playing solo or backed by a spartan rootsy band. His most recent release, The Singing Mailman Delivers, is a two-disc oldies package, so I’m assuming we can expect a night full of old favorites like Angel From Montgomery and Souvenirs when Prine headlines Red Butte Garden Tuesday night. Johnnyswim opens the show.
If you can find a more ingratiating show host than Michael Franti, outside of your neighborhood karaoke emcee, I’d like to meet them.
Franti was working overtime Sunday night at Red Butte Garden, where he and his band Spearhead headlined a sold-out show that had a little bit of everything. That’s true musically, thanks to the mix of hip-hop, funk, soul, pop, rock and reggae delivered by Franti and his rock-solid band. And that’s true environmentally, with the show attracting everyone from darling children–called on stage by Franti at one point to wave signs marked with song lyrics–to hippies, scantily clad lady fans and U President David Pershing, spied grooving out in the VIP section.
Amanda Shaw opened with a fiddle-fueled set that included a mash-up of “Devil Went Down to Georgia” and “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” (yes, as odd as it sounds), and Franti hit the stage with his band fully ready to destroy the place, as he is wont to do.
“I Don’t Wanna Go” launched the show, and Franti had the audience on its feet and clapping out the song’s rhythms immediately–not an automatically successful effort at every Red Butte Garden show. “Yes I Will” led into a raucous funk workout of “The Streets Are Alive” that included a dive into Sly and the Family Stone’s “Family Affair,” with Franti announcing, “We only have one place to groove tonight, Salt Lake City!”
Clearly, Salt Lake City was thankful for just that, at least the Salt Lakers in attendance who were dancing, clapping and bouncing beach balls around the place as Franti and Co. ripped through songs like “All I Want Is You,” “The Sound of Sunshine” and “11:59.”
“Closer to You,” “Life is Better With You” and “Gangsta Girl” pushed the proceedings along as Franti delved into different parts of the audience, leaving his band on stage while he forged into the worshipping masses and played and sang via remote mics. All the new material was welcome for regular Franti show-goers; the man comes to Utah enough that repetition is a danger, but the new All People collection offered plenty of strong additions to his always energetic setlist Sunday night.
“Say Goodbye” led into a verse or two of U2’s “One,” a fine example of Franti’s expansive musical worldview, as well as his ability to knock out a crowd-pleasing anthem guaranteed to thrill an audience.
With decades of performing under his belt, from his early years in Disposable Heroes of HipHoprisy to his current musically expansive project, Franti is a tough frontman to beat. And at Red Butte Garden Sunday, he proved an ideal summer show leader from beginning to end.
SPY HOP STREET PARTY, 511 WEST 200 SOUTH, Friday, Aug. 16, 5 p.m., Free
Salt Lake City’s Spy Hop, the arts-heavy after-school program that teaches teens their way around making music, video games, film and the like, is having a big-time party this weekend to show off some of the work of its students. A Spy Hop house DJ will spin tunes while visitors much on tacos and other snacks, learn how to screenprint with the folks from Copper Palate Press and play with Spy Hop’s Animation Station to help make a stop-motion film. The nearby Art Access Gallery will be showcasing fine art done by Spy Hop students, the B Boy Federation will perform at 6:15, and later guests will be treated to trailers from this year’s PitchNic films, the short features that fill Spy Hop’s annual student film fest. Consider it a perfect evening to introduce yourself to one of the coolest youth art programs in town.
Daniel Nailen 