The past week has been reminiscent of my tireless show going of a few years ago. I can’t do the 4 shows a week thing anymore, but occasionally the good ones cluster. Two quick recaps:
Hiss Golden Messenger – June 15 at the HiFi — My first exposure to MC Taylor aka Hiss Golden Messenger was when he opened for the Jason Molina: Magnolia Electric Co tribute show about 18 months back. Since then, I’ve been gobbling up his work, especially the last two records, Haw and Lateness of Dancers.
He and his modified band (4 instead of 5 — and William Tyler!!! on guitar) were hot from the start, opening with Southern Grammar’s Brother, Do You Know the Road? and never letting up. The LoD songs dominated the set, as was expected, but every track was muscular and tight. Terrific show.
Paul Weller – June 18 at The Vogue — I suspect many in the crowd were hoping to hear the Modfather dig into his Jam and Style Council catalog, but this was a Paul Weller solo show. And with around a dozen albums to just his name, including excellent new one Saturn’s Pattern, the set was a showcase for those songs. Worked for me.
The new songs, like burners Long Time and White Sky, were propulsive, and older cuts like Friday Street and The Olde Original sounded fantastic, too. Indy even got a rare listen of Heliocentric’s He’s the Keeper, which hasn’t been on recent setlists. At 57, Weller is still as magnetic as ever — really, his last couple of records are some of the best of his career. Glad I finally got to see the legend live.
What recent shows have you hit?