Tonight, Bronze Radio Return will hit the stage at Off Broadway to bring the St. Louis audience a blend of folk, blues, and rock infused with a healthy dose of soul.

Their sophomore album, Shake! Shake! Shake!, released last spring, the Hartford, CT sextet set up shop in the college town of Norman, OK to work with producer Chad Copelin. There they enjoyed the Midwestern friendliness of a supportive network of musicians and friends and we encourage you to welcome them to St. Louis tonight with the same open arms.

In the live setting the band likes to get the crowd engaged and having fun. Vocalist-guitarist Chris Henderson explains, “There’s always this moment near the beginning of a set where everybody is standing around. It just takes one outgoing dude, or a tipsy couple, and they just start moving. You can see two or three more people going, and then as the set progresses, more and more people start to move.” Henderson sums up the band’s goal, “We like making music that makes people move.”

To that effect we pass along, as a token of generosity from the venue to our readers, the offer of a pair of tickets to tonight’s show. In case you need the details – Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Show at 9:00 p.m. Scarlet Tanager opens the evening.

Here’s how to win the tickets: If you’re on Twitter just easily retweet the following “I entered to win tickets to see Bronze Radio Return from @3minrecord retweet and you could too!”

or send an e-mail to 3minuterecord@gmail.com

or leave a comment on our Facebook page.

The contest runs from now until the deadline of 3:00 p.m. today, February 22, 2012. We will randomly pick the winner via our scientific ACME Random Number Generator™ machine and send an e-mail/DM to the lucky contestant. Good luck folks!

Broken Radio Return – “Down There” acoustic via Paste Magazine

Bronze Radio Return – “Play It On Me” – Live at the Bitter End

Bronze Radio Return – SHAKE! SHAKE! SHAKE! EPK – 2011

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears performing at Off Broadway - 2/15/12 - photo by Scott Allen

On a live recording, Maceo Parker, former sax player for James Brown, once said “We like to play happy music. Happy music means you are moving and shaking something automatically.” The audience on packed floor for Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears last night likely couldn’t have agreed more.

On the road for a spring tour to continue to push their sophomore full-length release, Scandalous (Lost Highway Records, 2011), the Austin-based band brought out old and new fans to shake their ass on the Off Broadway floor. In fact, a nearly sold-out crowd crammed into the South St. Louis venue on Wednesday night for a celebration of ‘hump day.’

Dressed in a black leather jacket reminicent of the Ramones classic look, Black Joe Lewis brought more of a punk rock feel to the band’s performance. Growling the lyrics at times, his delivery and demeanor was intense as he strummed his red Telecaster. Lewis spoke very little from the microphone as the band stormed through a 75-minute set comprising songs from their two full-length releases. The rest of the septet, the Honeybears, dressed casually in white shirts and dark pants, performed a loose rollicking set that kept the energy in the room high throughout the performance. So high was the energy, in fact, the drummer’s glasses slid down his face each song from the sweat rolling from his brow.

In the live setting it’s easier to see why Lewis eschews the notion that the band is just a soul revival band. With dirt exhuding from their pores, Lewis and the Honeybears leave a puddle of sweat on the stage as they dress their sound with musical bits from across genres. The group’s music, an overall blend of garage rock and R&B, adds elements of soul, funk, blues, and even hip-hop to their sound scape.

From the slow blues of “Since I Met You Baby” to the upbeat soul of “Living in the Jungle,” — both from the new album — the band moved easily around their catalog like a great mix being laid down.

With his lyrics filled with sexual escapades on songs like “Black Snake,” Lewis is modern day Clarence Carter with a sly grin at every innuendo. Upon the opening to “Sugarfoot,” the upbeat funk breakdown from their first album Tell ‘em What Your Name Is, the energy level in the room climbed further. On this track, Lewis and the group channel the memory of the legendary James Brown and bring the greasy funk with the horn section leading the way.

Breaking his near silence from the microphone, Lewis told the audience, “Since it was Valentines Day yesterday I hope everybody got laid.” Then, promptly announced the next song as “Bitch, I Love You” eliciting a good laugh from the crowd.

Toward the end of the set, I spied a couple making out near the rear door of the club. Kissing each other passionately, these two adults, oblivious of the room full of people around them, acted like they were in high school and needed each other’s saliva to breathe. The music of Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears gives the listener that sort of reaction. I’m sure there were plenty of other couples in the room that went home and made sweet love.

The band returned for a three song encore that surprisingly included a loose rendition of the Trashmen’s 1963 hit “Surfin’ Bird.” In retrospect this choice isn’t as surprising as it may seem. The song, a combination of two R&B hits by The Rivingtons, “The Bird’s the Word” and “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow,” perfectly embodies the underlying sound of the garage rock laced with heavy doses of R&B. Even in a cover, the band pushes the right button on the jukebox to not pigeonhole themselves.

St. Louis-based rock ‘n roll group Warm Jets USA opened the evening by setting the tone well for the main act. Led by veteran St. Louis musician Jason Hutto on guitar and vocals and featuring Christopher Keith on bass and Evan Bequette on drums, the trio brings a powerful dose of rock that rides somewhere between garage and indie rock and falls just below post-punk. Their 30-plus minute set impressed as the band brought an intensity many bands local can’t match. Kudos goes to the group as many of the musicians working in the St. Louis scene are much younger.

Between scorching blasts from his guitar, Hutto admitted late in the set, “We are kinda working through some new things…new songs.” At the bar after the show, Hutto told me the reason the band had not played out much of late. He said that he has been busy with recording projects for many groups on the local St. Louis scene. A sign-of-the-times-like statement from the one of the engineers and producers about how strong the current music scene is in St. Louis.

Thanks to Lauren Smalley for taking some useful notes for this review. Follow her on Twitter @the_lottery.

Today, I’d like to offer a little note to wish our readers a Happy Valentine’s Day. There are quite a few different emotions surrounding this holiday and I’ve tried to capture many of them with an appropriate song.

As Nick Hornby wrote in his classic music novel High Fidelity:

“People worry about kids playing with guns, and teenagers watching violent videos; we are scared that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands – literally thousands – of songs about broken hearts and rejection and pain and misery and loss.”

For the occasion I’d like to start by offering a little rare track from The Boss to advise you what to do if you’re thinking about that special lady today. Short and to the point, this one is easy.

Bruce Springsteen – “Give The Girl A Kiss”

Or… if you’re on the cynical side of the holiday there’s always Bob Dylan to put thoughts in perspective.

Bob Dylan – “I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)”

Personally, the positive attitude in this next track is refreshing and his advice should be heeded by those still out there looking for love.

Larry Birdsong – Somebody, Somewhere (1957)

If you’re down because you are missing that special someone and wondering what they’re thinking you might beg and plead like this singer.

Roscoe Shelton – “Say You Really Care” (1959)

Finally, this one must be included on the mix tape when you want her out of your life as you’re giving your lover that final kiss off.

13th Floor Elevators – “You’re Gonna Miss Me”

Back in early January, we announced that tickets for Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears were going on sale for their show at Off Broadway on Wednesday, February 15.

Now, your friends at 3 Minute Record are excited to announce that we have a pair of tickets to give away for the show this Wednesday night courtesy of the nice folks at the venue. We want you to get out on the floor and shake your booty and dance your ass off for the Austin-based garage rock/Rhythm & Blues band.

Opening the show will be St. Louis-based trio Warm Jets USA. Fronted by local singer/guitarist/songwriter/studio wizard Jason Hutto, the band pulls influences from a wide spectrum of rock that doesn’t sugarcoat. Between the two acts you’ll see both sides of the rock ‘n roll sound scape. See more info here.

Here’s how to win the tickets: If you’re on Twitter just easily retweet the following “I entered to win tickets to see Black Joe Lewis from @3minrecord retweet and you could too!”

or send an e-mail to 3minuterecord@gmail.com

or leave a comment on our Facebook page.

The contest runs from now until the deadline of 11:59 p.m. tomorrow, February 14, 2012. We will randomly pick the winner via our scientific ACME Random Number Generator™ machine and send an e-mail/DM to the lucky contestant. Good luck folks!

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears – “Living in the Jungle” – Live on the Late Show with David Letterman (6/13/11)

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears – “Black Snake”

As a band starts a tour there are inevitably bumps encountered along the way. Breakdowns, blunders, mistakes and mishaps are all part of the experience.

However, if you want to call Heartless Bastards’ singer/guitarist Erika Wennerstrom replacing the batteries in her in-ear monitors during the middle of the set a hiccup then I guess I’ll give you that one. Otherwise the performance went off without the proverbial hitch much to the delight of local fans.

For their second show of their 2012 tour to support their new album, Arrow, the Austin-based quartet stopped the van by the Firebird last night and gave the St. Louis audience a defacto record release party.

The record, their first for Brooklyn-based Partisan Records, hits stores next Tuesday, February 14. However, St. Louis received a special treat to have the chance to purchase the album directly from the band nearly a week early. The merch table featured the album on both vinyl and compact disc as well as the rest of the band’s back catalog on vinyl.

With a set that stretched to roughly an hour-and-a-half, the group played the new album — which clocks in at 52 minutes — in its entirety. Mixing up the running order of the record slightly, the Heartless Bastards recreated the sound of their new work flawlessly. When most bands arrive in town they’ve been on the road for a while and frankly can be a bit worn down from the process. The benefit to being on the road for an extended period is usually that the band is tight and worked out the kinks of their new songs. Last night, however, Wennerstrom and company were fresh and ready to go, yet sounded like they’ve been on playing shows daily for two months. Indeed, a great combination.

The band kept a busy schedule from the minute they rolled into town. At midday, the group stopped by the studios of 88.1 KDHX to record an in-studio session and an interview with DJ Chris Bay. Later, at the show, Bay related to me a story of how the band had found the new copy of Rolling Stone lying on a table. Flipping through the magazine, one of the band members’ found the review of Arrow written by Will Hermes. Reading the review aloud, the four members laughed at the line where the writer referred to the band’s new song “Down in the Canyon” as “Countrified Death Metal.” They moved on with their day, but didn’t forget. Following the stop at the radio station, the group made their way over to Vintage Vinyl for an in-store appearance before heading back to the Firebird.

By the time the band took the stage at 10:15 p.m., the venue was mostly full. The floor in front of the stage was tightly packed with patrons and the bartenders kept busy with lines all night — a great crowd for a Wednesday night in February.

Opening with the lead track on the new album, “Marathon,” the band set a slow, steady pace to begin the evening. With the song’s slow build to a fiery finish, the band telegraphed what would happen for the rest of the night.

As Wennerstrom held down the vocals, rhythm guitar and an occasional piano part, the rest of her band worked hard behind her. Their rehearsal time was evident as the songs were polished. Matt Nathan contributed the stellar lead work he provided on Arrow, his first studio album as guitarist. His lead work from his Gibson SG dazzled all night.

Usually it takes a special drummer to impress in the live setting. Most take the route of holding down the rhythm in a matter-of-fact necessity to keep the music together. But, Bastards’ drummer, Dave Colvin makes the most of his time on stage to show off his incredible skills behind the drum kit. Colvin’s drumming adds a dimension to the band’s live sound that stands above most rock shows today. His playing harkens back to the drummers of the ’70s and ’80s without the cheesy oversized drumset or theatric fluff.

To great effect the band even does their best to acknowledge the state of the current economy of touring band by employing their lovely merch girl, Heidi Johnson, on backing vocals.

While the group moved back to touch on older material a couple of times during the main set, the majority of time was spent introducing the new material to the audience. At one point they performed seven straight songs from Arrow as if they were playing one of those shows that older bands play on the anniversary of their classic record.

The main set ended with the two most powerful songs on the new record, “Late in the Night” and “Down in the Canyon” – a duo classic rock scorchers that fit with the best the ’70s had to offer. Before playing “Canyon” bassist Jesse Ebagh related the story of reading the Rolling Stone review earlier that day, the band put more fire and brimstone into the performance to thumb their nose at the legendary rock publication – a fitting end to the set.

After a few minutes of the audience cheering for more, the band came back out to play a two song encore, which included “Gray” from their first album, Stairs and Elevators, before ending for the night.

As live shows go the Heartless Bastards left town a solid positive experience filled with energy and excellent chops. Although the new album is full of strong, compelling material that the band performs to near perfection, I would have liked to hear a few more songs from their other three records. A sight critique for sure, but necessary to give the band something to strive for on the rest of their tour. If they continue to kill like they did last night more and more people will take notice.

For the first time your friends at 3 Minute Record will bring our ever-expanding record collections to the Stagger Inn…Again in Edwardsville, Ill. to spin some tunes.

From 10 p.m. until the clock strikes 2:00 a.m., the writers who call this little website home — Scott Allen, Bart Darnell and Jeff Fields — will venture out from behind the computer and meet and greet with our readers in real life. We’ll also talk to anyone who wants to drop by and say “Hi.” If there is a particular song you’d like to hear, please feel free shout out your requests in the comments below.

The Stagger Inn...Again - 104 E. Vandalia, Edwardsville, IL 62025

If for some reason you’ve never been the Stagger Inn…Again, located at 104 E. Vandalia, is an Edwardsville landmark. First established as the Stagger Inn in 1974, the bar was re-established in 1985 after a short stint as a sports bar – hence the tag “…Again.” The current incarnation of the bar celebrated its 25th anniversary a year-and-a-half-ago, but the space previously served as the home of Elsie’s Uptown Lounge. In fact, the bar is the site of the oldest continuously operated drinking establishment in the city. With its classic decor, the bar boasts an original back bar that dates from the early 20th century. Containing the signature “Old Heidelberg” bar mirror, the back bar is valued for both its rarity and history.

So, please come on out tonight and enjoy a nice, cold Stag or try the daily beer special. While we provide the tunes, order from their late night menu and enjoy a late dinner from the kitchen or sample something new from their excellent beer selection of domestics and imports — all in a smoke-free environment. If you’re feeling playful take a turn on their unparalleled shuffleboard table. 

If you can’t make it out be sure to check out their Facebook page to see what’s on the daily lunch and dinner specials or who is listed on the birthday chalkboard. The bar offers live music five nights a week and we encourage you to get out and support the local and national touring acts that take the stage.

Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth

Getting David Lee Roth, one of the most flamboyant front men in rock history, and the equally headstrong Van Halen brothers back in the studio together could be considered a victory in itself.

Nearly 30 years have past since Roth and the Van Halens entered 5150 Studios to crank out the hugely popular album 1984, a platinum effort 10 times over.

After a few barbs, a false start or two and some squabbles, they are back together — sans original bassist Michael Anthony sadly — for a shot at rekindling the magic that gave fans one rock anthem after another in the late ‘70s and ‘80s.

If the new album, A Different Kind of Truth, sounds like it has some elements from the Van Halen sound of their heyday, then your ears aren’t fooling you. The 13-song record, released Tuesday on Interscope Records, is built around a handful of demos leftover from from Roth’s first run with the band.

While dusting off some rejects from past sessions can be seen as mailing it in to some, generally speaking, Van Halen didn’t embarrass themselves after joining forces with producer John Shanks (Bon Jovi, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge). With 28 years between 1984 and A Different Kind of Truth, it was probably a good idea for Roth and company to not try to reinvent the wheel.

Van Halen, which hasn’t released a studio album of any kind since the ill-fated Van Halen III in 1998 with Gary Cherone on vocals, took the tried and true approach to A Different Kind of Truth and as a result, Eddie Van Halen‘s fingerprints (or perhaps fingertaps?) are all over this album.

Let’s face it. Eddie Van Halen has been through the ringer. After battles with the bottle, a bout with cancer that cost him part of his tongue and a hip replacement, Eddie put in a MVP performance on A Different Kind of Truth.

Van Halen - photo by Richard McLaren

On “Blood and Fire,” Eddie harkens back to 1981 and sprinkles some of Diver Down’s “Little Guitars” through out the verses and bridge before laying down a smoking solo to show kids the 57-year-old still swings a big axe. Roth pulls it all together with one of his best performances of the album, not to mention a ‘Hello, remember me?’ with the following lyric: “Told you I was coming back / Say you missed me / Say it like you mean it.” This should have been the album’s first single.

Instead, Interscope Records handed radio stations, “Tattoo,” a syrupy and rather pedestrian first single — also the album’s first song —  when compared to the other tracks. Though his range isn’t the best and he is often left to battle Eddie’s guitars in the mix, Roth is still able to deliver the swagger he’s always been known for.

In stark contrast to “Tattoo,” we get a taut, Red Bull-infused jam “Bullethead” where Eddie and brother/drummer Alex Van Halen kick up the tempo and other double-time quasi-metal numbers like “China Town” and “As Is,” perhaps a second cousin to 1984′s “Hot For Teacher.”

While the boys show they can still deliver some steam, there are other songs more worthy of hanging their hats on. “Stay Frosty” is a dead ringer for “Ice Cream Man” off Van Halen’s debut in 1978 and though a little corny lyrically, more than makes up for it with a scorching finish. The final track, “Beats Workin,” will sound familiar to Van Halen and Kiss diehards. Starting off with an ominous and simple chord progression, its roots come from a 1976 Gene Simmons-produced demo titled “Put out the Lights.”

If A Different Kind of Truth comes up short in an area, it would undoubtedly be the lack of vocal harmonies that were made famous with Anthony’s range. Anthony, who perhaps was seen as being too tight with displaced lead singer Sammy Hagar, has been pushed aside for Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie’s 20-year-old son. Without Anthony, there aren’t any “Dance the Night Away” moments on this album.

Melodies present during the “Van Hagar” era are largely absent here as well. Eddie Van Halen definitely wasn’t shackled on guitar and perhaps pulling back on the reins could have delivered some tighter songs.

It remains to be seen how long this combustible mixture of Roth and the Van Halen brothers, along with the kid Wolfie, lasts. The ensuing North American tour — Van Halen visits Scottrade Center on April 29 — should provide the litmus test if these egos can indeed co-exist for another run and follow-up to this new offering.

For now, the fact that there is “new,” solid studio material from three-fourths of the original lineup will be enough to whet the appetite of Van Halen fans that have been thirsting for too long.

Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth track listing
01. Tattoo
02. She’s the Woman
03. You and Your Blues
04. China Town
05. Blood and Fire
06. Bullethead
07. As Is
08. Honeybabysweetiedoll
09. The Trouble with Never
10. Outta Space
11. Stay Frosty
12. Big River
13. Beats Workin’

A Deluxe Edition includes a DVD titled The Downtown Sessions, which feature acoustic performances of “Panama,” “You and  Your Blues” and “Beautiful Girls.”

Heartless Bastards - Arrow

Cutting some deep grooves on their fourth studio album, Arrow, the Heartless Bastards owe a big debt to the ’70s output of Neil Young as they turn in this classic slab of rock and roll.

On their début for Brooklyn-based indie rock label Partisan Records, singer/guitarist/songwriter Erika Wennerstrom turns in 10 well-crafted rock and roll songs and delivers solid throaty vocal performances that longtime fans will appreciate. Recorded by Spoon drummer/co-producer Jim Eno at his Public Hi-Fi home studio in Austin, the album sees its official release on February 14, 2012 just as the band is starting a late winter tour.

For their last album, the critically acclaimed work, The Mountain, Spoon producer Mike McCarthy helped to broaden their rock sound to include elements of country music, employing instruments related to that genre such as violin, banjo, mandolin and steel guitar. Here the band continues to polish their sound as they employ elements of classic rock, Americana, garage rock, indie rock and the aforementioned country into a mixture that has a can’t miss quality.

Originally hailing from Cincinnati, the Austin-based group solidified a few years ago to tour behind their last album. After a few line up changes over the years — Wennestrom remains the sole constant — original drummer Dave Colvin and bassist Jesse Ebagh, who recorded the earliest demos the band released, were brought back into the fold allowing the sound to gel. When guitarist Mark Nathan was added to round out the sound, the band seemed to find a lineup that best suits them. In fact, at the announcement for the new record last fall, Wennestrom told Billboard, “I feel like this is the strongest record I’ve ever done. I feel like playing with these guys, us all being so connected, really helped make it so fully realized. I’m really, really happy with it.”

The first single, “Parted Ways,” is an upbeat strummer that would have felt right at home on a 1973 era Neil Young album had the singer not been grief-stricken over the loss of his Crazy Horse band mate Danny Whitten. Choosing a nearly five-minute long single might seem risky, but the band expertly carries it off as a much shorter track. As the music builds slowly, Wennerstrom, singing at the higher end of her range for much of the song, showcases a breathy delivery that is earthy and soulful as she sings, “I need a little bit of whiskey and a little bit of time to ease my worried mind.” Taking it down a notch after the guitar solo, the band begins to build again to reel the listener back in for the finale. Just when things seem to falter at the three-and-a-half minute mark, the band dumps the clutch and the song kicks into a higher gear. Wennerstrom adds excitement with gospel inspired vocals then turns the wheel over to Nathan as he rips off another blistering guitar solo, while Colvin brings a healthy dose of killer drum fills to the party to deliver the goods.

The rock riffage gets crunchy and ever thicker with the T-Rex inspired track, “Got to Have Rock and Roll.” As Ebagh lays down a funky bass line, Wennestrom’s voice fills with androgynous overtones that evoke the rock side of glam. Demonstrating her versatility further, Wennerstrom abandons the low register for her falsetto notes on “Only For You,” a soulful rock ballad. While she comes up a little short in the vocal range, the hooky baritone-esque guitar line saves the song. Nathan provides a solid guitar solo and Ebagh adds a rare bass outro to end the song and further enhance its merits.

The jaunty six-and-a-half minute ballad, “The Arrow and The Beast,” takes on the feel like a modern-day Spaghetti Western theme. A deep echo effect on the guitar and vocals punctuate the sound scape as Wennerstrom slowly strums along on her acoustic guitar and a thundering tympani style drum keeps the slow beat. Her voice nearly croons as she sings the line, “The arrow kills the beast that is burning inside of me.”

On “Late in the Night” the band perfectly concocts a mid-tempo classic rocker in the vein of The Faces or early ’70s Stones. Arguably the best track on the record, the song features a scorching guitar solo from Nathan. For much of the album Colvin has laid back to keep solid beats behind the drum kit. Here, however, he puts some wicked fills and rolls to tape, as he nearly becomes a lead drummer. Yet another track that mainstream rock radio should accept with open arms, but since it’s from an indie label will go unnoticed by program directors.

For the first of two acoustic based tracks, “Skin and Bone,” the band employs layers of strummed jumbo-sized acoustic guitars to give an Americana feel. An acoustic guitar solo cuts through the mix as congas and other percussion adds color to the deep groove being laid down by Colvin. However, on the second such song, “Low Low Low,” Wennestrom’s voice takes center stage as she belts “I’m getting used to being alone/I’m getting used to out on my own” over tightly picked guitar lines. On the right night in an acoustically rich live setting this song could serve as a showstopper.

The final track of the record, “Down in the Canyon,” finds the quartet returning to Neil Young and Crazy Horse for their best impression yet. Even though the opening seems better suited to a lost Black Sabbath song, the seven-and-a-half minute track features low droning guitar tones that gradually builds the tension. As the songs ambles on, Wennestrom sings “the hour is getting late” while Colvin holds the reins tight as to not let the train run out of steam too quickly. The intensity continues to increase to an eventual crescendo of vocals as Wennestrom sings “I’ll be home tomorrow” from the top of her voice, while guitar solos from her and Nathan after the five-minute mark return the listener to their proverbial home as the song ends. The end the song will have you pulling out your vinyl copy of Zuma to re-listen to “Cortez the Killer” and decide which one is better.

With half of the songs on Arrow topping the five-minute mark, the album clocks in at a lengthy 52 minutes — robust for only 10 songs. It’s not so much that they are against three-minute rock songs, but rather that they are comfortable with extended guitar solos, funky grooves filled with strong riffs and the occasional mini-jam. The underlying inherent beauty is that the Heartless Bastards are not afraid to let these songs stretch out and breathe. Consequently, this is where the songs tend to shine and the band’s strength is revealed.

Heartless Bastards - Arrow track list
01. Marathon
02. Parted Ways
03. Got To Have Rock and Roll
04. Only For You
05. Simple Feeling
06. Skin and Bone
07. The Arrow and the Beast
08. Late in the Night
09. Low Low Low
10. Down In The Canyon

“Parted Ways” (Studio Video)

“Late in the Night” – a Do512 lounge session

Los Campesinos! - photo by Jon Bergman

By Lauren Smalley

When a band writes albums centered around heartbreak, death, failed hook-ups, and misery you might expect the live show to be emotional and dark – with an almost reverential audience. Despite the angsty subject matter of Los Campesinos!’ songs, their live show is anything but a depressing experience.

It’s the juxtaposition of Gareth (Paisey) Campesinos’ lonely, self-deprecating narratives set to the fun, joyful music that draws such a diverse audience. The age-old argument of lyrics vs. composition just means this band brings in a very wide variety of fans. The fact that their Friday show at the Metro was nearly sold out is a testament to their broad appeal.

The night began with openers Parenthetical Girls taking the stage one at the time to scattered applause. The experimental pop outfit from Portland, OR are fronted by charismatic, eccentric Zac Pennington. He and drummer Paul Alcott – the other two members were non-entities – led the audience on a surreal odyssey which featured a giant screen showing cuts from films by Warhol and other avant-garde images. There was also a disturbing sequence which just showed repeated scenes of women in peril screaming in terror. Knowing this band has 20 EP’s, I was looking forward to hearing their varied repertoire. I was so mesmerized by Pennington’s stage antics (throwing cymbals in the air, writhing on stage, harassing keyboard player Amber Smith) , however, that I couldn’t focus on the music. I did enjoy the crowd-pleaser “Careful Who You Dance With” and their cover of the Smiths’ “Handsome Devil” was spot on, but overall I was unimpressed. I hope to catch them again in a more intimate setting where I think the act as whole would be better suited.

Los Campesinos! performing live at the Metro, Chicago on 1/27/12

From the first notes of the 80-minute set to the very last, Los Campesinos!, the septet hailing from Cardiff, Wales, had the crowd moving and shaking. I was a bit surprised to hear the keyboard begin the opening staccato notes of “By Your Hand” – which the band performed on David Letterman a week earlier – to open the show. Since it is the hit single on their new album Hello Sadness I expected it to come later in the set. They moved right into “Romance Is Boring” which is always a crowd pleaser, and that set the pace for a night filled with giddy, dance-y indie pop.

The rollicking set was heavy on the new material, but the band interspersed songs from their entire discography, which includes four full-length albums and two EP’s dating from 2008 to present. The younger crowd that was jam-packed on the floor was clapping and singing along ardently to classic and new songs alike. The banter between songs ranged from amusing to depressing. Gareth had beautiful things to say about Chicago, and their experiences playing Lollapalooza, but then he quickly reminded us that we relate to his songs because “we are all just lonely and sad.“ At one point before “Songs About Your Girlfriend” he warned: “This is a place of despair and loneliness. Don’t take it personally,” which was drowned out by the frenzied roar of the crowd. Misery loves company, I guess. The communal bond and electricity between crowd and stage was at its peak during “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed” in which Gareth speak-sings the perils of a long-distance relationship as a reformed preacher warns you against a life of sin.

The only weak moment of the night was when the band toned things down toward the end of the set with two slower songs from the new album. The melancholy “To Tundra” was a bit of a resting moment for the dancing crowd, and it highlighted Gareth’s shaky vocals when he actually sings melodically. Any negative reactions were soon thrown aside, however, when the opening chords of “You! Me! Dancing!” struck up and Gareth commented on how this was the song they should have played two years ago in their US television début. St. Louis natives will know this song from recent Budweiser beer commercials. The jam-packed 21+ crowd that was occupying the middle balcony sent up a big roar for this hit and I saw a lot of bottles clinking in cheers.

Campesinos only took a small break after the finale and fired straight into a two song encore that saw Gareth wandering through the crowd giving high fives and the other six members singing along to “Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks” at the top of their lungs. As I joined the masses winding down the stairs at a snail’s pace to the one exit – praying a fire wouldn’t break out – I heard many conversations extolling the genuine joy and appreciation these fans have for this band. No one I encountered went home anything less than completely satisfied.

Parenthetical Girls – 1/27 Metro set list:
Sympathy For Spastics
Entitlements
Careful Who You Dance With
For All The Final Girls
A Song For Ellie Greenwich
The Pornographer
Young Throats
Handsome Devil (Smiths Cover)
Stolen Children

Los Campesinos! – 1/27 Metro set list:
By Your Hand
Romance Is Boring
Death To Los Campesinos
Life Is A Long Time
A Heat Rash In The Shape Of The Show Me State; Or, Letters From Me To Charlotte
Songs About Your Girlfriend
We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
There Are Listed Buildings
Straight Talk 101
To Tundra
The Black Bird, The Dark Slope
You! Me Dancing!
The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future
Hello Sadness
Baby I Got The Death Rattle

Encore
Miserabilia
Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks

Photo courtesy of shorpy.com/node/11439

I just can’t understand where our attention to music has gone. Now that such grandiose pieces of art have been reduced to small digitized versions, they snuggly fit into our pockets and are available 24 hours a day. Does the convenient and constant availability of music change the way we judge its qualities? With so many daily distractions around us, how can we possibly give our full attention to the music that people have spent countless hours crafting and refining in a span of a few convoluted minutes?

I was in the middle of a conversation about amazing records with a friend the other day but couldn’t list anything new I was enjoying. Suddenly, I realized that it had been quite a long time since I was excited about any music that was new to me. In years past, I had anticipated the release of a record with such enthusiasm that I immediately rushed home to sit and listen to it several times in a row. Surely there was some explanation to this gap in time. Had musicians finally run out of new ideas that excited me? Were they simply re-making the classics or repeating formulas over and over with little success? After I reflected on my own activities, it was then that I realized my flawed logic. It wasn’t the music that had let me down; it was the other way around. I hadn’t really taken the time and given my full attention to the music that artists were producing all around me. How could I have let this happen?

I’ve spent the last few months just listening to 30 second clips of songs in between stops in my car rather than sitting down and intensely listening to an entire well-crafted album. I realize that for most of us with extremely busy lives this is the reality of how much time we can devote to these things. But I refuse to accept that we can’t fight against the constant narrowing of our attention to such random and small windows of time. We cannot let the things from which we once drew such inspiration simply become white noise in the background of our lives.

My wife and I started a Record Night listening party a few years ago when we were dating. In my small Dogtown apartment, a few of us gathered and shared music that each person was really digging at the time. Old, new, rare, vinyl, CD, mp3; any and all media forms were accepted. The medium or familiarity of the music didn’t really matter; what did was our intent to stop and take time to listen and share the songs. It was always a great time and most of us really tried to focus on listening to the music at hand. After a year or so Record Night just became a big party and the background noise of all the people was too loud to even hear the music. I think it was less fulfilling for us because we got away from really focusing on the music just as I believe all of us do from time to time. We haven’t hosted a Record Night in quite a while now, but I’ve been thinking about starting it up again to give it a second chance.

Although a formal music listening party is a great idea, it isn’t really necessary to break up the monotonous routine of our lives for a bit. Any of us can simply immerse ourselves in some meaningful music for an hour or two each week. I’ve found that it takes me multiple iterations of listening to a new album to really catch the subtle nuances that may be carefully woven in the sound scape. For instance, it took me years of listening to “Since I’ve Been Loving You” to hear John Bonham’s squeaky kick drum pedal, but now it’s one of my favorite parts of the recording. It’s small things like that about a record that we each love in our own way and make it truly great to us. How many amazing albums are out there to which no one has given their full attention but might fall in love with had they done so? I can tell you from personal experience that it takes a ton of effort and time to write, record, mix, & print a record. With so much invested in making the music, doesn’t it deserve our full attention and time when listening to the results?

Jeff Johnisee, musician and avid listener, plays guitar/vocals for St. Louis based band Franklin Felix. The band is currently finishing work on a full-length album to be released later this year. You can find the group on Facebook.