By: Bob Longmore
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Matthew Ryan - Publicity photo from his website
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“I’m David Mead, and I’m from Nashville, Tennessee. I just want you to know that this weather is really fuckin’ with me.”
And so began the opening set at the 400 Bar, which made me think that the cold February air might be the kind of thing that makes touring bands want to skip Minneapolis.
With his Telecaster - and pompadour - Mead played a straightforward set of folk-rock music. His voice drifted easily up into a falsetto and back down again, while his guitar playing was fluid and quite a bit better than the average strummer. Toward the end of his set, he paid homage to Minnesota’s favorite folk-rock son, Bob Dylan, and I wasn't sure if Mead sang “Just Like a Woman” just to please the Minnesota crowd or if it is a regular in his set, but he managed to pull it off with sincerity.
Matthew Ryan was up next and began his set with “Long Blvd” from his latest album, Regret Over The Wires. Ryan’s usual uniform is a sports coat over a black t-shirt (this night was no exception) and his hair looked like he had just rolled out of bed. His voice, similarly, had the kind of gruff and grumble that a lot singer-songwriters try to (mostly unsuccessfully) emulate. Ryan's voice sounded the way you might feel before your first cup of coffee; weary.
In another of a continuing series of comments about the peculiarities of Midwestern winter, Ryan told a story of a near-accident driving up from Iowa earlier that day, and admitted to fishtailing several times in the snow on the way to Minneapolis. He then introduced his co-pilot for the evening, guitarist Brian Bequette, and Bequette assured the crowd the near-accident was much worse than Ryan would have us believe.
Bequette added color to Ryan’s colorful acoustic ballads with slide guitar and shimmering leads. During “I Can’t Steal You” Ryan walked over to Bequette and mouthed “I can't remember the words.” At this point, a group gathered near the front of the stage took over, singing “Ashtrays lie like hearts for you to burn in.”
At the end of the song “Caged Bird,” also from Regret Over The Wires, Ryan added another nod to a Minnesota musical legend. He sang a few lines from “Seen Your Video” by the Replacements, with “Seen your video/ It’s phony rock and roll.”
Throughout his set Ryan tempered his heavy emotional songs with his smile. He really seemed to enjoy playing, and it was that contrast that made his songs ring true to the listener. Before playing their last song, Ryan and Bequette couldn’t help but comment on the lack of smoking, and Ryan remarked “I can understand people being healthier, but this is bullshit!” The night ended - all too soon - with the song “Cars and History,” from Ryan’s side project Strays Don’t Sleep.
Rooftops and stars above
The smell of cold dead leaves
Our skin was all in knots
You were moving under me
Cars and history turn to rust
Cars and history turn to rust
Location Info:
400 Bar
Artist Info: David Mead, Matthew Ryan
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