By: David de Young
 Erik Brandt and the Urban Hillbilly Quartet at Lee's Liquor Lounge on Saturday - click for full-sized version. (Photo by David de Young) |
Members: Erik Brandt - guitar, accordion, lead vocals |
The stage was partially lit by an old beat-up lamp, its shade patched with duct tape. Lead vocalist Erik Brandt was wearing a bolo tie and black Converse All-Stars. And Greg Tippet's bass was affixed with no fewer than 6 stickers, garage rock style. These were just a few of the things that set the tone for the diversity of the musical experience that lay before us Saturday night at Lee's Liquor Lounge.
Brandt introduced the show by asking if we were ready for a pre-emptive, Urban Hillbilly assault. A song called "Living in the City" opened up the set, starting out with the intensity of the Clash's "Brand New Cadillac," but then suddenly metamorphosing into an up-tempo bluegrass number (don't try to reproduce this at home, folks.) It was going to be a difficult task for any band to live up to Jason Ringenberg's performance on that same stage 24 hours earlier, but the Urban Hillbilly Quartet sure came close.
UHQ's dexterity with diverse musical styles was already apparent after the first 90 seconds of their set. An oblique anti-war reference was made in their first song as Sena Thompson's violin was momentarily front and center in the mix as she deftly quoted the melody of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance." Then the song rolled right on.
On their latest album, "Amelia's Boot" (Fundamental Records, 2002) UHQ demonstrates still more of that stylistic versatility. The CD features Erik Brandt's sublime singing and songwriting ala The Samples ("Helplessly"), funky borderline disco numbers ("Need to Love,") and semi-traditional jazz numbers complete with real horns ("Pucks Blues.") If you didn't know better you might think this CD was a compilation album of a half a dozen different bands. Yet it still holds together conceptually, and that's the success of both "Amelia's Boot" and a UHQ live show.
Having done a good listen to the 24 songs (count 'em) including 4 from their most recent release the band generously makes available on their website for download, I was prepared for this mélange. Through ho-down medleys like "Diggy Lo," a cover of "Atomic" by the Louvin Brothers, and a gypsy song that segued easily into a reel, I had to wait a few songs to be captivated by the music in more than an intellectual, critical way, but once the band caught their stride, I was drawn in by the energy and they never let me back out.
After "Moonstruck," one of their catchier songs from an earlier album they broke into Johnny Cash's "Big River" and Lee's talented homegrown dancers took to the dance floor.
Brandt mentioned the merchandise they had for sale saying bluntly, "Buy our CD's, they're really good." A bold, but true claim. With only one UHQ album in my possession at present, I'm seriously thinking of filling in my back catalog.
The next song was a practically ambient, mood-enhancing, groovy bluesy number that had the strange effect of making me want to drink vintage red wine. There were percussive elements strangely reminiscent of Pink Floyd's "Money" and I temporarily felt I'd been transported from Lee's to some exotic opium den as Greg Reierson on the full kit and Milo Mietzner on congas collaborated.
As Jeremy Szopinsk's lead guitar throughout a UHQ show frees lead singer Brandt from any lead guitar duties, Brandt moved out front with his accordion (see photo above) and shortly thereafter the band was in the midst of a crazy jam that might be almost atypical for Lees if it weren't for the fact that nothing is atypical for this downtown music bar. The song got quiet; then as it came back full volume it changed into some crazy Irish jig and I let out an audible whoop, quite unconsciously.
The next few songs included "Sun Shower" with its playful harmonies between Brandt and Thompson, and a wonderful fiddle solo on another song. Thompson sang the closing number, the John Prine gem "Angel From Montgomery." (You can check out UHQ's version of this song out on their website.) And its performance demonstrates this band is blessed with not one but two talented lead vocalists.
I like this song so much I want to share the chorus with you here, a gratuitous inclusion perhaps, but having no space limit in the online version of this review, here it is:
Make me an angel that flies from Montgom'ry
Make me a poster of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing that I can hold on to
To believe in this living is just a hard way to go.
Thompson shushed the band to a near whisper; then suddenly they rocked into the close of the song and the set, too soon at 12:40 a.m. if you ask me, but that was an hour and 10 minutes that went by quicker than most, much to UHQ's credit. Unfortunately, they didn't play the encore "St. Paul Town" listed on their set list and skipped a good chunk of the middle of the set as well.
You can catch The Urban Hillbilly Quartet again at the 400 bar coming up on April 10th and again in St. Paul at the Bean Factory on April 25th.
Location Info:
Lee's Liquor Lounge
Artist Info: The Urban Hillbilly Quartet
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