If anyone's music can keep its energy up, and the audience rapt in attention, it's Nick Lowe's. Armed with just an acoustic guitar and charming wit, Lowe shot out lyrics that were like poignant arrows of observation that struck and gently ached, no matter how lighthearted they seemed.
Roughly 300 people crammed into the German House to hear the hits. And the man's got more than a few. Still, Lowe managed to slip in a few new ones, including the best song of the night, "I Read A Lot," its paint barely dry, with gorgeous and sad lyrics over equally gorgeous and sad chords. Lowe pointed out that he was keenly aware that half of an audience wants to hear new stuff, while the other half wants the hits. He also copped to the fact that his songs are too short to go out and grab a smoke and get back in time to hear what you wanted. A slower, mellower version of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" was stunning, and "The Beast In Me" stopped the beast in me dead in its tracks.
A Hi-Riser-less Greg Townson warmed up, with his guitar and a suitcase rigged with a kick pedal. It sounded just incredible. His performance was a perfect example of every step in the evolution of rock 'n' roll. Bear with me; if you deconstruct rock music from today going back, you'll eventually get to the collision between blues and country. You'll pass jazz. You'll pass folk. You'll get to field hollers and their blend of negro spirituals and gospel. You go back far enough, and you'll wind up in the jungle. Now flash forward to last Thursday night right about the time Townson played the one-note solo to "One Note Joe" over the stomp of his gunboats and the jungle (that's right, don't let the coat and tie fool ya) and the blues and the country, and the gospel and Christ, anything and everything cool was there - totally there, and real gone.
Caught Velveteen Fox at The Record Archive Saturday night as the band blasted some tight 'n' reckless soul. The band's loose spots - those that come with being new - were in fact its strong points, and I could feel the burn. When's the last time you felt a band?