Going to see a band for the first time and expecting transcendence isn’t really fair, but it’s tough to temper expectations when you’ve read a slew of rave reviews and heard great word-of-mouth about a group.
In the case of Deer Tick, the Rhode Island-based roots-rockers, I’d heard great things about their live shows for years, but kept missing their stops in Salt Lake City. Thursday night at The Urban Lounge, I finally had the chance to see the band led by singer/songwriter John McCauley for the first time.
Suffice to say, Deer Tick lived up to the hype, delivering a rough-and-tumble set full of sounds inspired by artists who must be inspirations to the band, from the sexy blues-rock of the Rolling Stones to the drunken singalongs of The Pogues, the insistent pop-rock of Cheap Trick to the delicate (0n occasion) folk-rock of Neil Young. It was an impressive display by McCauley and his bandmates.
The first surprise of the night came with the very first song, a faithful cover of Nirvana’s “Serve the Servants.” That the Rhode Island band would choose to cover a band noted for its hometown clear across the country from Deer Tick’s Providence was not shocking–both Deer Tick and Nirvana are pop-savvy “alt-rockers”–but to open a show with a tune by the Seattle icons was ballsy, to say the least. Toward the end of the set, Deer Tick would delve into Kurt Cobain’s catalog again for an abbreviated take on “Something in the Way” that wasn’t quite as thrilling as the somewhat obscure opener from In Utero.
In between those tunes came nearly 90 minutes of sometimes-thrilling, consistently winning rock & roll, with a heavy dose of Deer Tick’s 2011 release Divine Providence filling much of the set. Songs like “Funny Word,” “Main Street” and the utterly apt “Let’s All Go the the Bar” from that album all killed. Other highlights included “Easy” (not the Commodores tune, but a song from the band’s Born on Flag Day album), and “Miss K.”
Somewhat remarkably, the most thrilling moment came via another cover song. Twenty songs into the show, and right at 1 a.m. (Utahns know that is, sadly, last call at the bar), Deer Tick kicked into a raucous take on the Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party).” The homage to MCA’s long-time group turned a well-lubricated Urban Lounge audience completely apeshit–pumping their collective fists, singing along and reveling in the joy of a worthy rock band in its prime paying homage to an unforgettable pioneer recently lost.
The Beasties’ cover was a communal charge of energy that can only happen at a live music performance, and Deer Tick was the perfect conduit for the experience. The fact their own music can inspire a similarly fervent response is a great sign Deer Tick is something special. They are definitely a band I won’t ever miss again when I have the chance to see them.
Deer Tick, The Urban Lounge, Thursday, May 10, 9 p.m., $20
John McCauley, the leader of Deer Tick, has a knack for crafting rock and roll that has all the grit you could ask for, while retaining some pop sensibility that makes the band’s some of the most appealing of the past few years. Following up their excellent recent full-length, Divine Providence, Deer Tick put out an EP, Tim, that is well worth a listen. And the band’s reputation as a thrilling live act is certainly well-deserved; this gig will likely sell out, so grab a ticket early if you can. Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside and the Turbo Fruits open the show.
Deer Tick headlines Thursday, May 10, at The Urban Lounge
UniteSLC! Festival, Liberty Park, Saturday, May 12, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., free
A brand-new festival dedicated to “celebrating life, diversity and acceptance,” this all-day thrown-down at Liberty Park has a lot to offer–and all of it local. There’s a ton of Utah-based bands playing through the day, including the Suicycles, I Am the Ocean, SuperSoFar and many more; local food venders and arts & crafts booths, information from human-rights organizations and activities for kids. A perfect way to spend a spring day, doncha think?
The Suicycles, one of the bands playing Saturday, May 12, at the UniteSLC Festival at Liberty Park
Inkathon for the Arts, Art On You Studios, Magna, Saturday, May 10, 1o a.m. to 6 p.m., $20
Talk about a great way to support the arts–get a little new ink! Everyone who stops by the Art On You Studios tattoo shop and spends $20 for one of the below arts-related silhouettes will see 100% of that money go to the state’s Division of Arts and Museums, earmarked specifically for youth arts programs. With arts programs across the state being slashed due to budgetary belt-tightening, kids in schools need all the help than can get to make sure they have access to arts programs. Here’s an easy way for you to help–and get a cool tattoo in the process. Art On You Studios is located at 8971 W. 2700 South in Magna.
Plan-B Theatre’s SLAM, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Saturday, May 12, 8 p.m., $25/$10 for students
Plan-B Theatre Company’s annual SLAM benefit is one of the cooler bits of stunt-programming you’ll find among local arts groups. A small group of writers, actors and directors get together and create five short plays from scratch over 23 hours–and the audience gets to see the results during the 24th hour. This year’s crop of playwrights includes local faves Matthew Ivan Bennett, Elaine Jarvik, Julie Jensen, Jenifer Nii and Eric Samuelsen.
The Ninth Annual SLAM benefit for Plan-B Theatre Company is Saturday, May 12, at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
Katie Herzig, The State Room, Saturday, May 12, 9 p.m., $17
Katie Herzig is a talented Colorado-born and Nashville-based singer/songwriter who makes regular stops in Utah, as a headliner, part of the Ten Out of Tenn tour, and opening for acts like Brandi Carlile and Over the Rhine. Her music has struck a chord with all manner of TV and film producers, who hear something universal in her work. Herzig’s most recent album, The Waking Sleep, is a lushly produced set that finds her lyrics addressing “big picture” issues beyond personal relationships, and it’s another in a long line of strong albums she’s released in the last decade. Matthew Perryman Jones opens the show.
Katiz Herzig plays Saturday, May 12, at The State Room.
Long-time artistic director Charles Morey exits Pioneer Theatre Company on a high note, directing a stirring take of the classic musical Man of La Mancha.
The show is a multi-layered wonder, apt considering the story stretches back through older theatrical productions, novels and songs all the way to the 13th century. And this Tony-winning musical version is a wonder of storytelling; as Morey explains in his director’s note on the play, Man of La Mancha offers a fictional story of poet and playwright Miguel de Cervantes, who is imprisoned and then recruits some fellow prisoners to perform the story of Alonso Quijana, who in turn acts out the story of Don Quixote.
“In other words,” Morey writes, “within the play itself, you have four layers of theatrical reality–of metaphor–compounding the layers of literary, dramatic and mythic tradition.”
For this non-musical lover, the creative storytelling and quick pace of the production helped me get into the show when in other song-heavy shows, it’s not so easy. And truth be told, the vocal talents of the powerful William Michals as Cervantes/Don Quixote is simply impossible to resist. His charming performance as the eccentric old romantic is one of the best I’ve seen in a musical production, a winning combination of acting prowess and vocal finesse that never delved into over-the-top histrionics.
L-R: Christine Moore as Moorish Dancer, William Michals as Don Quixote and Daniel Marcus as Sancho. Photo by Alexander Weisman.
Michals was the clear highlight of a strong, large cast. Maria Eberline delivered the true fire and passion as the object of Don Quixote’s affection, Aldonza, but her voice wasn’t quite in the same league as Michals’ in the show I saw. Daniel Marcus, as Don Quixote’s faithful servant Sancho Panza, was also strong in offering regular comic relief, and he had a couple of solo songs that worked well.
As always with shows at Pioneer, the stage production was striking. The prison set was a majestic, pliable thing, with the actors helping the action move smoothly from the “reality” of the prison to the imagination of Don Quixote’s tale–Morey’s charges moved fluidly back and forth among the scenes, and it was easy for the audience to move right along with them. The costumes were excellent, particularly Michals ever-changing outfits, and the Spanish-inflected music delivered by a live orchestra was rock-solid throughout–and utterly thrilling at times.
You can say the same for the entire show. The Man of La Mancha runs at Pioneer Memorial Theatre through May 19. Visit the Pioneer Website for showtimes, tickets and more information.
This week’s picks feature chart-topping rock-and-rollers, a local CD release party, a grand finale from Pioneer Theatre Company’s artistic director, a festival to help you live green, and more.
The Black Keys, Wednesday, May 2, Maverik Center, West Valley City, 7:30 p.m., $45-$55
Not a lot needs to be said about the hot streak that Akron boys The Black Keys have been on the past few years. When you look at the album-sales charts, there haven’t been many rock and roll acts hovering in the Top 10 for a long time, but the Keys’ last couple of releases, including 2011’s El Camino, both shook things up by landing in the top five. More recently, the duo has taken its live show from clubs and theaters to full-on arenas, including this stop in Utah that has Brit rockers Arctic Monkeys opening the show.
Samuel Smith Band CD release party, Friday, May 4, Bar Deluxe, 9 p.m., $7
Local bluesy rockers the Samuel Smith Band have been gigging like crazy for a couple of years, and recording tunes at a pretty consistent clip, too. They’re celebrating the release of their new album by welcoming a who’s who of local talent to join them on stage Friday night, including members of King Niko, Muscle Hawk, Suicycles, Pour Horse, Scenic Byway, Marinade and more. Suffice to say, it will be a rager, a one-night buffet of top-notch local musical talent delivering one-of-a-kind performances.
Man of La Mancha opening night, Friday, May 5, Pioneer Memorial Theatre, Salt Lake City, 8 p.m., $36-$57
The final production of Pioneer Theatre Company Artistic Director Charles Morey is a big, bombastic musical, as is typically the case for Pioneer’s final show of each season. The tale of Don Quixote’s pursuit of his “impossible dream” is a classic, and the Broadway musical won five Tony awards. The show runs through May 19. Check back this weekend for a review right here at SLCene.com.
L-R: Christine Moore as Moorish Dancer, William Michals as Don Quixote and Daniel Marcus as Sancho. Photo by Alexander Weisman.
Live Green SLC! Festival, Saturday, May 5, Library Square, Salt Lake City, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., free
Now in its ninth year, the Live Green SLC! festival brings together all manner of enviro-conscious informational booths, eco-friendly entertainers and Earth-loving members of the public for a day-long event at the SLC Main Library that is both a good time AND good for you. Looking for some xeriscaping info, or ways to make your house more environmentally sound? This is the place to be on Saturday afternoon.
Shooter Jennings, Monday, May 7, The Depot, Salt Lake City, 9 p.m., $15 advance/$20 day of show
Before Lukas “Son of Willie” Nelson became a regular fixture of Salt Lake City’s music scene with consistent stops in our fair city, Shooter “Son of Waylon” Jennings was establishing himself as a country-tinged, somewhat-rockin’ offspring worth watching. I was a big fan of his debut album, Put the ‘O’ Back in Country, but he’s been a little hit-or-miss since. His latest release, though–called Family Man–is a return to form. Locals Ghostowne open the show.
All of us music geeks–and I’m including everyone who reads this in that tally–have a musician or band that we think should be WAY more popular than they are.
Among those on my list is Ben Kweller, a power-pop-lovin’ dude who I first saw about 10 years ago touring in support of his solo debut Sha Sha, playing a show at DV8 (or whatever it was called in 2002). The singer/songwriter has a knack for writing insistent pop-rock hooks, a way with sentimental lyrics and a winning stage presence that would seem to combine for big things. Somehow, those big things have eluded Kweller to date, which is how I found myself at In The Venue, on the small/Club Sound side, to see him in 2012.
Now in his 30s, Kweller has spent the better part of two decades as a touring musician, from his years leading Texas-based rockers Radish (remember them? Ya, me neither) through his adult years and a series of albums that feature some rock-solid pop songcraft.
Kweller’s skills were on full display at his show Monday at Club Sound, in front of an audience that would surely be much bigger had he found his way onto people’s playlists before they latched on to whatever flavor of the week/month/year has come along to cloud their judgement since Kweller arrived on the scene.
Kweller’s charm can be easily capsulized in this moment from Monday night. His band bailing to hang backstage, Kweller sat at the piano and recalled a boy who had written him an email asking to propose to his girl at a Phoenix show. The now-engaged couple were in the audience Monday in Salt Lake City, and Kweller dedicated “Thirteen” to them, as well as the tune “Lizzy” (the bride’s name) shortly thereafter.
Kweller and his three-man backing band sounded good throughout Monday’s set, from the churning “Wasted & Ready” to the piano-driven “Gossip” from Kweller’s latest album, Go Fly a Kite. “Falling” was a tasty burst of power-pop bliss, while “On My Way” showcased Kweller’s skills as a balladeer.
From beginning to end, Kweller pretty much ruled the stage. He’s got some awesome rock-dude moves, some mean guitar licks in his bag, and a bevy of solid tunes to get him through a 90-minute show. He might never blow up to take the baton from lesser pop-rock performers who have somehow achieved greater popularity. but for those who have been turned on to Kweller, there is some comfort in being part of a semi-exclusive club of Kweller worshippers. If you have the chance to see him in a venue the size of In The Venue again, take advantage of it.
In case you missed it–and judging by the attendance at the show, most of you did–Nashville’s self-proclaimed “most fucked-up country band” played a fine show Sunday night at The State Room, focusing heavily on the band’s latest release, Mr. M.
Band leader Kurt Wagner is one mesmerizing songwriter, reminiscent of Leonard Cohen and Magnetic Fields’ Stephen Merritt. I reviewed the show for Salt Lake City Weekly, and you can check out my complete thoughts right here.
Props to openers The Folka Dots, who delivered a strong set of their patented vocal harmonies. If you’ve yet to see them in one of their many shows around town, get on it!
Daniel Nailen 