March 28, 2010

Shearwater with Wye Oak Local 506 3/25/10


Jb and I went and checked out the Shearwater and Wye Oak show this past Thursday at the Local 506, and we went in with low expectations due to the fact that the Shearwater records are an acquired taste that has yet to develop on my palate. But, I was not going to miss this show because I had to see how they would pull off their recordings live. We were in for a treat.

Opener Wye Oak , who is on Merge, is a two piece band with a lady singer/guitarist and a guy who looks like Waldo, on drums and keyboards.  Jb reminded me that they opened for Blitzen Trapper at a show we saw last year at the Cradle. Apparently, they didn't leave much of an impression on me. But, this time around, that was not the case. Having not delved much into their catalog, I was pleasantly surprised by them and their powerful sound. I'm not so sure their recordings do them justice. Maybe it was the fact that their record label is local and, I'm sure most of the employees were there, so they seemed to be ready to make a strong case that Merge did the right thing in signing them. I think they succeeded. Check them out. Jb and I both agreed that they were awesome and alone were worth the $12 admission.
 After a little intermission, on came Shearwater. This is the drummer and he is the star of this band. Remember this. He is the sole reason to ever go see this band. He looks a little like ted Nugent and I guarantee that he probably gets as much lady action as the Nuge did back in the day. I would pay another admission charge to see him perform again. He's that f'n entertaining. In the photo linked, he's wearing the same outfit that he wore the night we saw them; a woman's blouse, we're pretty sure. He plays a clarinet, a xylophone and a cymbal 18ft above his drum set. There is no reason for that! Why?! Because he can, that's why. He LOVES the attention given to him from being on stage. In a current rock world where it's too cool to be on stage and being a performer, this guy is not afraid to make it known he's there to entertain you and you better watch him. I love him. Seriously. And I'm not the only one. After the show, he was getting asked for autographs and had young girls waiting to talk to him at the stage. He's a friggin' rock star and he loves every minute of it. 
Musically, they were what I expected. They pulled it off and we're talented and right on par with their records, and possibly better because it was living and had energy, which the recordings lack. That's not a dig, because I think they are talented; I'm just no that much into the style. I hand it to them that they know what they want and how it makes it happen.
Overall, I really liked the show, to be honest. The music, the bands and the crowd made it one of the best show experiences I've had in some time; a real hoot! Wye Oak was a great discovery and Shearwater is entertaining to watch, especially The Nuge II in action. He's the man.

 


5 comments:

  1. If Ted Nugent knew his liberal tree hugging twin brother Thor(I'm not kidding that's his real name) was performing in a blouse and playing clarinet he'd probably take him out to one of his fenced in ranches and fill him full of lead.

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  3. JB, Teh Nuge prides himself on his archery skills. Homeboy might have be dodging arrows, not bullets.

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  4. Seems to have gotten your attention anyway! Great you decided to review the music NOT the people!

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