Two Trips to Church
Live music is the closest thing some of us have to church, and this month I went twice. Seeing Carbon Leaf live at the Music Box and Johnnyswim in a small Indiana town made the case better than any sermon could.
Carbon Leaf has been at it for about 34 years, a true band of the middle class, and they still don’t use a fixed setlist. Every night is different. That’s how I heard songs I hadn’t caught in years, their take on Mary Mack, and one of my all-time favorites, The War Was in Color.
The best moment wasn’t a song, though. At their last show in Kent, a fan shouted out a request the band wasn’t ready to play. This time they spotted that same fan in the crowd, called them out and played it. That’s a band that respects the people who keep showing up.
Then came Shipshewana, Indiana, a town I didn’t know existed until I bought the tickets. Johnnyswim was celebrating ten years of Georgica Pond, and it was just Abner and Amanda, no band. Every show ends with them walking into the crowd to play Home unplugged, so I bought seats dead center in row G and hoped.
Sure as donuts, they came down our row, close enough that my wife was holding Amanda’s hand to keep her steady on a chair. If either band comes through your town, go.
The Songs
Gone by Kells mixes bluesy vocals, pop production and a delivery dripping with swagger. She has a strong retro streak that recalls Amy Winehouse, another artist nobody could put in a box. Her voice is silky and warm with what sounds like a Southern drawl, which is impressive for someone from Pittsburgh.
Prog rock fans, this is your red alert. Cloudkind from I Built the Sky has no vocals at all. It’s textured and melodic one second, heavy and twisted the next, and some of the guitar work has a Passion and Warfare-era Steve Vai feel. The drummer pulls all of it off on a five-piece kit, no Portnoy-sized fortress required.
I had to go through a friend in Argentina to find this UK band after he posted a clip with no name attached. Peekaboo from Legs on Wheels sits somewhere between jam band and classic prog. If you love the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis, it’ll take you places you won’t see coming.
Another tip from a friend, and a good one. Wild comes from Nicotine Dolls’ new self-titled album. It’s straight-ahead indie rock with a gritty vocal, sharp production and a killer bridge. The whole record is moody and solid, and the world could use more rock like it.
There are also two bonus picks, both linked on the site. Reach for the Stars is Kiss and Pitbull reworking Rock and Roll All Nite, and it’s more catchy than it has any right to be. We’re Fucked is Barenaked Ladies teaming up with Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre on what amounts to a modern We Didn’t Start the Fire.
