Just like A Sunny Day in Glasgow, I liked Califone more live than on their records. This isn't always the case for me, in fact I'm pretty frequently dissapointed live by bands whose records I really like, Pinback is a good recent example. But both of these bands were great live. I thought Califone were going to be these 20-something indie rock dudes, but they were frumpy, 40-something midwestern guys, totally unpretentious, funny bantering with an audience that was clearly very into them. They'd be a decent band if it was just about the songs they write, but they really get into some cool experimental stuff, with different loops building together and they expertly move into and out of songs off of that stuff. Great show. Regrouping tonight and then back to the Bell House tomorrow night for the Walkmen.
7 comments:
in Pinback's defense, they tend to be very hit or miss live. When they're on, though, its something to behold.
Califone is a band that I've heard mentioned countless times over the years but have never actually listened to
Once again, I and my people are maligned... "I thought Califone were going to be these 20-something indie rock dudes, but they were frumpy, 40-something midwestern guys"
Califone is great. I wanted to go to this but was suffering from some extreme dental torture.
P.S. I know you went on to be nice about us 40-sumthin' midwesterners, and I appreciate it.
I got nothing against fly-over territory, some good music comes out of Chicago. As for 40-something, I'm getting there too.....
"fly-over territory", you're killing me, though I do live about 20 minutes away from the Indiana Hutaree HQ.
I feel you on the live vs. recording thing. Blood on the Wall, when that CD came out it was all I listened to, but the live show was a disappointment. On the flip, this band "Belong", out of New Orleans (?) that opened for Black Dice (?) at the Knitting Factory (?) (you can tell my details are hazy)... cd, meh. Live show, intense visuals and like wall of sound madness that was a physicial experience. So anyway, yeah. Califone. Word. Sorry I couldn't make it, popo.
Is "Hutaree" a great name? Some kind of christo-fascist-fantasy tribe.
Keeping on point: I find the recorded vs. live thing almost always to swing in the opposite direction. I'm WAY more often disappointed by live shows from bands who's CDs I love than the other way around.
Despite a long residence in Chicago, I never did see Califone live.
I don't have any consistent preferences for live versus recorded but it is always fascinating to compare. Been surprised by a few bands who brought something live that wasn't on the record(Camper Van Beethoven, Femi Kuti, and um, Blue Oyster Cult come to mind), and of course they're are the people who should never have got on a stage and gave it a shot (every Trip-hop show I saw in the nineties).
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