[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Review: OtR at Brady's, 04/23/99


Hmm.  Where to start?

Perhaps with the voyage Kentward, which started a good bit earlier
than I had expected it to, owing to the small blessing of a meeting
cancellation.  The drive itself was windy and more than a little
rain-filled, but even that couldn't dampen my mood.

I arrived at Brady's around 5 p.m.; the trio was about halfway
through setting up a rather formidable amount of equipment.  I
said my hellos to Bonnie, got coffee and my ticket (thanks, jg!),
and proceeded to snag as many seats as I could.  I attempted to
grade some quizzes, but didn't really succeed, and gave up around
6:30 when people started arriving en masse.

I'll get to people-meeting comments later, since others of you have
already enumerated the lostie crowd.  I must say, however, that it
scares me a little, just a little, that many of my Kent friends now
know some of my lostie friends.

The young woman who opened the show, whose name I've lost in the
depths of my book, was wonderful.  I was broke.  Whine.

The show starts off with something slow and melancholy, just J and L.

The Seahorse: Karin's voice explodes and the room is suddenly silent.
Beautiful piano work, K and L both on guitars.  Too much light, not
enough smoke.

(I can never remember the name of this song; it's the hidden track
on Eve):  Piano is thick enough to float away on.  Really nice work
at the end.  K has some beautiful moments...

?The Road:  Uptempo; I haven't heard this one before that I remember.
"there's no savior hanging on this cross..."
Damn, but this /screams/ for percussion.  It wants to rock out...I've
never heard a song /want/ to rock out like this without actually
rocking out.  Ouch.  I get a smile from the sound guy (who is only
a senior in high school but did a kick-ass job) for managing to dance
sitting down.

Little Blue River:  "Trailer park lament song...not that I have
anything against trailer parks."
I keep expecting to hear harmony, but it never happens.  Lots of
Cowboy Junkies in this song.

Goodbye:  Didn't really grab me..wanted to tap out percussion on the
table.  Nice guitar work, though.  Playful ending.

Patter by K. about the '10th anniversary gig'.  The locals try to
scare Jack, but he doesn't look too terrified.

Anyway:  Glorious, beautiful guitar solo.

Circle of Quiet:  A goodness to hear...again, waiting for harmonies
that never materialize.  I'm not sure about the drawn-out ending.
See Ric's version.  ...hmm, I take that back.  This is nice.
Improvisational. Playful.  Whee!

It's Never Quite What it Seems (subtitled "An American Dream")

All I Need...:  Dramatic piano.  This really works well.
                  Harmony, Dammit!!!!

Lucy:  "This girl really exists...and she's fine."  Plays with 'Blue
Moon' briefly.  Things really start getting playful at this point.
Lots of smiles in the band and in the (packed) house.

"If you had an anthill...and a magnifying glass...and the Sun."
Faithfully Dangerous the way I hear it in dreams.  Beauty interspersed
with dark, knowing humor; spiders and flies all tangled up together
in a web spangled with moonlight rippled from black waters.

Jack's Valentine:  J. pulls out the sunglasses for this one.  Very,
very playful.  "I wanna trip myself...and stumble around for a while
and eventually fall upon your fabulous sword".  jg breaks out /his/
sunglasses too.  Highly amusing patter about "the hardwood floor".

Latter Days:  Somewhat of a closure for me.  This song was my first
introduction to Over the Rhine, and there I was sitting by the person
who introduced me to the band... About fifty levels of context are
missing from this explanation, and that's okay.

Encore 1:

Orphan Girl

Go Down Easy:  I really wanted to hear this song; it was on repeat
loop in my head all the way to Kent.  Well, that and Out of the Woods.

Encore 2:

Out of the Woods:  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, they /do/ read minds.
Just in case you were wondering.


We all milled around for a bit after the show, then headed out to
Bellie's, a nice little bar in downtown Kent.

Yow.

I suppose this is a good place to say hello to everyone.

Alyssa and Heather, dears, it was good to see you as always.  Aren't
these listie people great?

jg, thank you soooooooo much for getting me a tickey and for coming
to Bellie's after, and for bringing db!  I didn't believe the rumors
that you were sans hair, silly me.

Jessyka, darling, truly lovely to meet you (and your dress, and
your boots, whose-ever they were).  You /will/ write me, won't you?
I don't know what you did to Kyle, but it seemed to work. ;)
Speaking of Kyle--it's going to be much harder to get mad at you
now that I know what a hottie you are.  Chris has impeccable taste
in roommates!

Ysoie is truly, wonderfully, amazingly, and completely brilliant
(and if she's anywhere as close to exams as I am, she needs all of
the ego-boosting she can get!).  It was ...remarkably like looking
in a mirror, and I'm not sure which of us I'm flattering more by
saying that.  Oh, and Yz...Jamie is single. ;)

Gardner...it wasn't the alcohol, dear.  The stuff impairs my balance,
not my judgement.  Thanks for dancing with me, even if we did try to
displace the pool table a couple of times.

Somebody said earlier that non-listie Jen has oodles of class.  You
are *so* right on.


After Bellie's, we went to Country Kitchen via Denny's where, despite
my best efforts, tiredness started to win out over the post-show
wonderful-people euphoria.  Sorry that I wasn't real aware, Gardner,
but thanks for ...walking me out.

I passed out at (now) lurker Jamie's house for a few hours, then
wended my way back to Michigan.  It was a beautiful morning for a
drive...light traffic, piercingly blue sky, springtime must starting
to burst out of its brown winter cocoon... Non-listie Gavin bought
me TWHF and Patience during the concert, and I was listening to
Patience, driving down the turnpike.  When "I Painted my Name" came
on, I just...

I can't explain the feeling.  Smiling so widely my face should have
cracked right in two...but with joyful, wonderful, amazing tears just
streaming down my face.  perfect.  a moment of perfect joy.

See, here I go again...just thinking about it. (And in the middle of
my office, too.)

This is it.  I want to make music with enough joy, enough beauty,
enough passion that anyone who wants to listen hard enough can have
moments like this.



Turn off your computer now.

Now.

Go enjoy the sunshine and the wonder of spring.



Love to all of you,
Raven-amy