By: Nancy Jane Meyer
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The Jayhawks - publicity photo
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The third night of a three night stand brought out the magnanimity in Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris, who announced early on that we were the best audience of the weekend. “And I’m not just saying that,” he said self-consciously, pushing his glasses up on his nose while glancing around at bassist Mark Perlman and slide/banjo player Stephen McCarthy, a recent and welcome addition to the band’s lineup. Judging from the lackluster reaction from the audience to that comment, it could be said that we third-nighters had come more for the music than for the wry compliment. Louris said nary a word after that until the end of the two hour show, perhaps reflecting a concerted focus on the fact that this was the final show in which to capture recordings for the forth-coming live CD.
“Stumbling in the Dark” from the latest CD, Rainy Day Music, was the first song of the night, and ironically, the band may have stumbled ever so slightly turning into the chorus when Karen Grotburg came in on piano, but quickly recovered and slid right into the somber, regret-laden “Angelyne” from the same album. It could be argued that Rainy Day Music is the perfect anodyne to nostalgic Jayhawks fans that have been pining away for the more signature, acoustic, jangly “Americana” sound of 1992’s Hollywood Town Hall or 1995’s Tomorrow the Green Grass.
Considering how much material was culled from those two releases over the course of the evening, and the fact that three past Jayhawks members—violinist Jessy Greene, guitarist Kraig Johnson, and keyboardist Karen Grotberg—reunited with the band for these shows, there was a near-palpable sense of musical resurrection. The finest moments of the evening occurred when Greene and Johnson played on the classics “I’d Run Away” and “Blue”; while the Jayhawks’ overall musical performance was solid and consistent, the energy on stage seemed to lift whenever these two “local heroes,” as they were called by the Star Tribune last summer, added their talent to the mix. Louris lauded the two as “always and forever honorary members of the Jayhawks.”
Their onstage presence also seemed to enhance the communication of all the musicians, which was more limited in their absence, as they would play on three or four songs and then retreat to the wings. Three two hour shows three nights in a row may have had something to do with the reserved demeanor of Louris et al., particularly with the added pressure of the live recording
I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t mention the Louris slinging of the Flying V for “Haywire” as well as Mark Perlman taking on the responsibilities of lead guitar at one point in the show. Experimentation of style, form and lyrical content have long been the modus operandi of this band, and given the depth and diversity their song catalogue, amply displayed last night, the Jayhawks have become much more than the “only relevant alt-country band” they were typecast as in the 90’s. They are musical inventors, collaborators, performers, studio artists, and songwriters—and not only are they still relevant, but they remain an integral force in the trajectory of popular American music.
The Meliferous Melody of the Melismatics
The opening band of the night quite possibly has the best band name of the millennium, particularly for those who enjoy studying etymology in the Oxford English Dictionary and high voltage power punk pop all in one scintillating serving. “Melisma” comes from the Greek, and means a group of notes sung to one syllable in “plainsong,” such as a Gregorian chant. The Melismatics are the high school talent show band that you really believed were going to make it—these guys have the swagger, style, fundamentally solid musicianship, and catchy chorus hooks enough to rival even the most religious of Minnesota ice fisherman.
Most of their set was comprised of songs from their latest CD New Infection, (a Susstones product engineered and co-produced with the band by Ed Ackerson) beginning with the title track, which was followed by the new unrecorded tune “I Need Money;” the insistently crunchy “Rite Where U Belong” and “Let’s Get Sublimated,” which sounds like a reasonable enough notion coming from four young polite gentleman who, given their signature pose with all guitars thrust forward, have seen Spinal Tap more than a few times.
So many local Minneapolis bands are guilty of taking themselves, rather than their talent, all too seriously, and the Melismatics are in the enviable position of being that band that you see live again and again, willing to breathe in the dry ice in exchange for the edgy guitar riffs, sharp harmonies, and deceptively simple, clever lyrics. The Melismatics are Ryan Smith, Jeremy Ylvisaker, Mark Wade, and Ron Caron. Catch them some night soon at the Triple Rock, you won’t be sorry you did.
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: The Jayhawks, The Melismatics
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