{Bloodshot Records Showcase @ Union Pool}
- {Charlie Pickett}
The next "morning," I hauled myself out of bed and headed down Meeker Ave. to the Bloodshot Records showcase at Union Pool. My primary goal was to see Justin Townes Earle, so you can imagine the pleasant shock of walking in and seeing late-80s country/punk legend Charlie Pickett on stage. I quickly scanned the room and noted that this was easily the oldest crowd I'd seen so far at CMJ. In fact, most of the room probably had no idea what CMJ meant, which was kind of refreshing by Day 5. As I found my place in the crowd, my head shot up when Pickett declared "Jack White? Yeah, that guy stole my life." He might be right. Even on his best day, White would have had trouble keeping up with Pickett on Saturday, who is not only twice his age, but much more willing to get behind the roots of his music, which bears the cool edge of The Velvet Underground and the grit of Howlin' Wolf. Despite the older crowd, this was not your grandpaw's country show. Pickett's voice is guttural, and the steel of his guitar strings cut deeply, electrified. "Now right here is some hillbilly logic," he says, launching into a song about how each person in a marriage has got give it up a little to keep the other one happy. Yes, "it." A 60-year-old man talking about "it" in a trendy Brooklyn bar/venue. A Top Ten Moment of CMJ 2008, for sure, and not something we'll be hearing from Jack White anytime soon. Making a comeback after an unjust bout of obscurity, Charlie Pickett has just released Bar Band Americanus: The Best of Charlie Picket And... on Bloodshot.
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- {Justin Townes Earle}
Pickett's band broke down the stage and The White Stripes blared over the venue's PA. Sigh. Justin Townes Earle bears not only the name of his famous father, Steve Earle, but also the name of his father's hero: Townes Van Zandt, and he carries both with a sweet snarl. I'd seen JTE once before on a Rocks Off Concert Cruise, opening for Lucero. My recollection of his set was a bit fuzzy (note: Concert Cruise = Booze Cruise), but I bought his record, The Good Life, and it's been in constant rotation ever since. After I accidentally gossiped about the absence of his bass player/former girlfriend while standing next to his current girlfriend (oops?), Earle took the stage armed only with his acoustic guitar and Cory Younts, who heads up harmonica and mandolin duties. Like the last time I saw him, Earle ensures the mics are turned up so high he barely has to get near his in order for his voice to ricochet around the small room. Although he's got the swagger down, Earle manages to appear humble, even as his guaranteed-not-to-crack voice rips the cheatin' ladies of his past to shreds. "This goes out to what's her name, wherever she is ..." A few couples cut a rug on the sides of the stage, which seems entirely natural given the ambiance Earle gives to the dimly-lit mini-ballroom. Quite simply, Justin Townes Earle plays country music the way it deserves to be played -- without gimmicks. And between you and me, I pretty much lost my shit when he covered "Can't Hardly Wait" by The Replacements, rare in his sets these days. Since I love y'all so very much, there's a video below. The Good Life is out now on Bloodshot Records.
After a delicious dinner from the Union Pool taco truck, I put up my umbrella in the downpour that had suddenly decided to grace our fair city and sprinted towards the L train to go into Manhattan for a couple more showcases.
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{Merge Records Showcase @ The Mercury Lounge}
I returned to The Mercury Lounge (because I love it, don'tcha know) to catch some of the Merge Records showcase and promptly bumped into my buddy Christine Tadler and her boyfriend Matt LeMay (of Brooklyn-based Get Him Eat Him). I soon deducted that Christine would be playing bass in her first live show later in the evening with The Capstan Shafts for the Rainbow Quartz showcase. I announced that I'd be in attendance, much to her chagrin. Heh heh heh.
- {Wye Oak}
I made it onto the floor in time for Wye Oak, whose MySpace headline proclaims, "we don't play acoustic music." They're from Baltimore and quite proud -- when an audience member yelled, "Charm City represent!" singer/guitarist Jenn Wasner smiled and responded, "Holla!" Wasner was clearly the boss, leading the two-piece with her alto voice and overpowering electric guitar (can I get a wah wah pedal?), but drummer/keyboardist Andy Stack is anything but second fiddle. For a while, it seemed like every up-and-coming band was determined to cram as many members on stage as possible, but the trend seems to be going the other way now; this was not the first group I saw at CMJ that made maximum use of merely two members. Wye Oak remind me of a time when indie rock wasn't exactly cool... of course, a young pup like me was still cutting my teeth on that "pop culture" thing, but I know enough of my shit to understand that indie rock was at one point characterized by its lack of frills. Wye Oak hearken these times, and I found myself wishing I could sit on a stool with a big mug of coffee. No finger-snap clapping, though. They're touring with Dr. Dog in Europe, which makes me jealous of everyone across the pond, and their album is called If Children, available from Merge.
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- {Portastatic}
Portastatic is essentially Mac MacCaughan, lead singer of a little band called Superchunk, backed by keys and the one and only Margaret White on violin. After gracious praise of the bands preceding him -- "I don't know how you guys do it!" -- MacCaughan flies headlong into an acoustic assault, his voice pleasantly grating, with an extra bit of finesse, like a little secret part of him would love to be a pop singer. Still, no Justin Timberlake would unleash lyrics like, "A spider you can't catch/ A cunning rusty latch." This couplet repeated itself in my brain for the remainder of the evening, and I found myself mumbling it as I speedwalked through the cold night air. Probably because it's absolutely perfect. MacCaughan asked for some volunteers to play percussion, and peer pressure dictated that a starstruck badge-wearer and Matt (remember him?) get on stage and do their duty. Check out the video below. Some Small History came out this year on Merge.
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