3/16/05
1:00 pm
Jason & Susan's wedding party @ Hole in the Wall
Having finally gotten smart this year and picked up my badge early, I was able to dive right in to the music, beginning with Jason Cohen and Susan Sheperd's wedding party at the Hole in the Wall. Cohen, like myself, is a former writer for Pop Culture Press, and a music and sports critic of strong renown. His wife has also dabbled in music criticism; both have made many friends in the music community over the years. A bunch of them came to help celebrate the couple's union, beginning with Paul K & the Weathermen. The last time I saw the erstwhile Paul Kopasz, he was strumming an acoustic guitar; I'm happy to note that he's back in power trio mode, the format in which he's most effective. The band played a set of songs mostly unfamiliar to me, unsurprisingly, since I've not heard a Paul K album since 1999's Saratoga. The rhythm section kept up a more-or-less steady rock pulse while Paul howled and rasped about pain and redemption above it. Ripping gnarled fills and chunky leads out of his cheap Les Paul copy, Paul played as if he and the music were at war, with the human barely coming out ahead. Every tune, new ("Sterling Morrison") or old ("Liar's Prayer"), was excellent, a testament to this man's seeming effortless ability to come up with quality material. "Radiant and White," an anthemic love song that's as close to a "Free Bird" as Paul has, never fails to soar up with every spirit it touches. The biggest highlight, however, was a savage cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Waitin' Round to Die." Paul gave this gem by one of his primary inspirations a rough-and-ready treatment that Van Zandt would've appreciated, pumping up both the black humor and inherent tragedy of the tune without once resorting to showboating or false drama. Ninety-nine percent of the singer/songwriters out there could learn a few things from Paul K.
The rest of the performers couldn't match the standard set by Paul, but that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of music to love. Dave Shouse, formerly of indie rock darlings the Grifters and currently of the Bloodthirsty Lovers, played a brief set of tunes that made me rethink my previous disdain for the Grifters' catalog. Britt Daniel also impressed me, despite my dislike for his beloved band Spoon; playing a Julian Cope cover goes a long way with me. Robyn Hitchcock was a delight, as always, digging into his back catalog for "One Long Pair of Eyes," a beautiful tune requested by the couple. Since Hitchcock also performed the wedding ceremony a couple of days earlier, he, Cohen, Sheperd and witness Michael Krugman signed the wedding certificate onstage after the set. It was almost too cute.
British act the Dawn Parade followed, with what the band claimed was its first set outside of England. I don't know where Jason and Susan found this group, but I'm glad they did. The quartet was wonderful, tossing gem after widescreen pop gem that would make U2 and Echo & the Bunnymen jealous. Somebody sign these guys to an American distribution deal, please.
After that out-of-the-blue shock came Tim Lee. The former Windbreaker and current purveyor of excellent solo albums played a fine set of loud roots rock that begged the question: why isn't this guy better known?
Finally, the Great Lines, a British quartet led by the songwriters from PCP faves the Dentists, played a few catchy numbers, attracting Beatle Bob in the process. There was more music to come, including a second set from Paul K, but I had to meet someone, so I wished the happy couple well and took off.
