Carrboro, 8 Dec 2003, Go Room 4

[Benjamin Torbert <bct1@duke.edu>]

Todd Bell - Roady
Matt Slocum of 6Pence - Guitar, pedal steel, violoncello
Devon Ashley - Drums (played on Ohio CDs)
Rick Plant - Bass
Spinner - whatever it is he does, engineering?
Dave Nixon - Merch

General observations:

Rick's name reminds me that my brother-in-law had some sort of ficus or
something when he was in HS that he named "Robert Plant."  Wife says it's
still alive, but I'm skeptical.

Karin appeared to be wearing Doc Martens.  The reason I think this is
that my long time office roomie, who was the most femme lesbian I've ever
known, was obsessed with Doc Martens and had a whole collection of them.

When Karin got onstage, she noted that "half the band's in the bathroom."

Karin sounded all sorts of Southern.  My wife and I have long felt an
affinity for OtR because we felt they were closet Southerners.  Something
about the near Midwest, Karin's vowels, I don't know.  It's a feel thing.
Anyway, Karin was all over the backed /a/ 'on,' raised /epsilon/, fronted
/u/ tonight.  Although the fonted /u/ could just be Ohio.

What they played:

1) Hometown Boy.  K usually needs about 2 songs to warm up.  Not this
time.

2) Show Me.  Some guy brings Yellowtail, what, not Syrah.  Maybe Merlot.
It was red.  I stop to wonder, how does K make these vowel formats with
her mouth barely open?  In concert, the "I begin to retrace" line doesn't
sound corny like it does on the album.

3) She.  L gets going with both the piano and the hammy, as he will
continue to do thru most of the concert.

4) Nobody #1.  L goes Hammond nutty.  At this point I notice he is wearing
an L/D buster pin.  I wonder what this is.  L/D = Linford Detweiler?
Learning Disability?  Lateral Disarmament? None of these make sense with
the buster.  I don't know.

5) Anything at All.  L refers to Ohio as "That record that Karin wrote."
We're from Ohio, he notes.  K has been just singing, but now she's back on
guitar.  K does this amazing vowel thing with [epsilon + u] on certain
vowels.

I study dialect in gradskool, in case anyone is wondering,

6) Xmas is coming.  L likes winter and winter tours.  (Me too; winter is
the only respite from ass humidity we get in the South).  L pours the
wine.  K tells story about some guy in CLE last week who wore a toolbelt,
wore a fez, screamed a lot, looked a little scary, and told Dave Nixon
that "they should have done a key change."  Song is performed with key
change.

7) All I Get for Xmas is Blue.  Thank goodness, I haven't heard this in 2
years.  Big fat drums.  L looks like his liver or something internal
hurts.  K exhales musically at end.  You know, no utterance or gesture
with her is wasted.  It's all either on pitch or integrated into the music
somehow.

8) I Radio Heaven.  Lots of distortion.  K does a new [to me] cadenza.

9) Ohio.

10) Some transitioney instrumental with Slocum on cello that oozes into
acoustic Give me Strength.

11) Give me Strength.  Obviously K on piano all this time.

12) Silent Night.  DNotY arr.

13) Poughkeepsie.  Dogs are discussed.  As in GDBD.  Plant sez "Don't
forget to spay or neuter."  "Tonight" is replaced with "in flight"

14) Let it Be.  Leave it to K&L to choose the one Beatles song that
doesn't make me homocidal.  K at piano, L at Hammond.  There goes the
truck driver's gear change.  Beatles were such hacks...

E1) Jacks' Valentine.  With sleighbells!  That's Bergquist on sleghbells.
L says "You can go home, pick 2 chords, and write your own song."

E2) Latter Days.

One of K&L I forget who said "We've singlehandedly taken it upon ourselves
to make holiday music less happy."  I say Thank God.

Ben Torbert,
Durham, NC
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