pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

I feel so bad for not blogging as much this past month or so… busy at work and in real life.  I have still gone to quite a bit of shows, especially in October – Aimee Mann, Nellie McKay twice, Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst three times, and Dan Deacon, I snapped a few iPhone shots (sorry for lower quality).  I tracked most of the setlists, too.  So, here’s a quick run-down.

Aimee Mann @ the Aladdin Theater, Portland, Oregon (Tu 10/2)

Aimee Mann put on a great show, a good mix of old tunes and ones from her brand new album, Charmer.  Here’s what she played – 10/2 setlist. This was my second time seeing her, and I was not disappointed.  She’s charming, smiles much more than her songs lead on, and is quite the jokester.

Nellie McKay @ the Shedd, Eugene, Oregon (Wed 10/10)
Nellie McKay @ the Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland, Oregon (Th 10/11)

Two shows, back-to-back seems to be a habit for me when Nellie McKay swings through Oregon. The shows were fairly similar (Eugene setlist / Portland setlist) save for a few changes in songs.  Both shows were great.  She seemed for relaxed and vocally on-point in Eugene. In Portland, she had a few lyrical miss-steps, but she was as charming as ever. Any time she comes through, I’m excited to see her.  No news on another album, yet (her last was 2010’s Home Sweet Mobile Home).

Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst @ the Majestic Theatre, Corvallis, Oregon (Wed 10/17)
Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst @ the Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland, Oregon (Th 10/18)
Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst @ Tsunami Books, Eugene, Oregon (Fri 10/19)

Three shows, not one the same. Another artist I see every time he comes through, Peter Mulvey, brought his long-time musical friend Kris Delmhorst (wife of another singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault).  The three of them are in a band Redbird with guitarist David Goodrich.  Well, this Fall 2012 west coast jaunt was just Peter & Kris, doing a switch-off storyteller-type show.  All of the shows were two sets, split with a short intermission.  Peter changed up his set fairly well, and Kris mixed hers up some as well (Corvallis setlist / Portland setlist / Eugene setlist).  I only had a few of her albums before this tour, but at the final show, I had to rectify that and pick up the rest of the catalog.  It seemed based on their new material and various discussions that they were both working on new albums… for 2013?

Dan Deacon @ Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon (Th 10/25)

The openers were also odd (TEDtalk-styled humor from Alan Resnick), bombastic (two-piece rock powerhouse Chester Endersby), and truly enlightening (rock/rap from Height with Friends).  For Dan Deacon‘s set, he played a lot from his latest album, America.  This show was intense and amazing.  He has an amazing way of getting people to step out of their shells.  At one point, Dan was going to have us do a arm tunnel outside the venue (something he does at most of his shows).  The bouncer and club management wouldn’t let him… so he complied and said,” we’ll just do something far more dangerous.”  With a wide circle, he started with one guy running around, and with every revolution, he would bring one more person in to run around… 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, … after a very short time the entire audience was running in a circle… I had to pull myself out of it and grab some water… It was a very sweaty, dancey, fun-as-hell show. Truly inspiring how the seeming group of outcasts becomes a group of like-minded lovers of life.

I’ll try to do a better job of consistent concert reviews going forward, time permitting.  A couple shows for me this week: The Dead Kenny G’s (Skerik, Matt Dillon etc) on 11/15 @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene) and Over the Rhine on 11/17 @ the Triple Door (Seattle).

~Dan – np: Sufjan Stevens – Silver & Gold (Songs For Christmas) Vol. VI: Gloria!