Modest Mouse @ The Capitol Theatre, NY August 5

Isaac Brock

Sometimes you just don't really know a band (or its fans) until you experience things live in a concert setting. Such was the case with Modest Mouse, indie rock stalwarts from the Pacific Northwest since 1995 that burst onto the music scene in 2004 with the crossover hit "Float On."  I'd count myself among the fans not-so-patiently waiting for another studio album since 2009's No One's First and You're Next (containing only B-sides and unreleased tracks), as it's not a coincidence that frontman Isaac Brock's own record label is called Glacial Pace. Tour dates were cancelled last year among rumors about time needed to complete the album, which has yet to appear. So you'd think hitting the road this time around would be a good way to keep the connection going, but no reintroduction needed as a rabid and raucous crowd came out to their show at The Cap on a gorgeous summer's night.

Modest Mouse songs swing from the soothing to the frantic, all infused with a seething underbelly via Brock's lyrics and a vocal attack that breaches into speak-singing. His nomadic upbringing in Montana, Oregon and Washington included polar opposites of hippie communes and a Christian religious sect. Brock is still searching, clearly not sure if there are any answers. The opening number from 2004's Good News for People Who Love Bad News, "The Good Times Are Killing Me," sweetly mocks his own drug use. (Thankfully Brock was looking extremely fit in a dress shirt covered in a cactus pattern, with boyish bangs that became plastered with sweat as the set continued). The stage was covered with equipment, instruments and nine musicians, who allowed the music to become as unhinged as the audience that filled the venue. Brock switched from guitar to banjo  as needed and checked in with everyone with an occasional "How y'all doing?" He confessed to slamming a finger at 4 am, chocking it up to the fact that if you're up at 4 am, then "Shit happens."

The band brought out "Confessional" early in the set, kicking up the intensity of this instant party tune from 2007's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.  A new song slipped in afterwards, creating a honky tonk vibe with Brock barking "Be Brave," along with two more later on, flirting with old school Rockabilly in "Sugar Boats" and a wavering rocker "Pistol." And with so many shows utilizing busy backgrounds projected on scrims plus other stage props, the straight up light show of colorful streams was something to be appreciated. However I waited till the end for my moment to finally hear and sing along to "Float On," but that was not to be. There were plenty of sing along moments, from "Fire It Up," to "This Devil's Workday" and especially the repeating line, "Are you dead or are you sleeping?" in "Satin in a Coffin." But not witnessing the biggest hit and my introduction to the band left me wanting -- along with that next studio release. Check out some pics, videos and set list below.

Paul & college pal Mark telling tales to the next generation

Paul & Me

Next gen music fans

Band of Horses @ The Capitol Theatre, NY July 24

Singer Ben Bridell

Band of Horses creates the kind of music that makes you stop, listen and feel.  The group is unafraid of grand gestures and deep emotions, with an indie rock base that crosses into Southern rock. Lyrics delivered in a distinctive twang deal with screen doors swayin', fixin' drinks in the morning and incredibly romantic yearnings, such as "my thoughts drift to you." Chorus lines repeat to emphasize meaning while building fervor, never as a repetitive exercise. Over four albums since 2004, their sound swings from sweet lullabies to soaring crescendos of melody and stomping rockers with blasts of guitar -- all benefiting from the immediacy of live performance. 

The core quintet since 2010 is now based in Charleston, South Carolina and treated fans to a 20-song set at The Capitol Theatre, all wearing jeans and beards on recent summer's night: singer/songwriter Ben Bridell (guitar), Tyler Ramsey (guitar), Bill Reynolds (bass), Creighton Barrett (percussion) and Ryan Monroe (keyboards/mandolin). This evening began with Midlake downsized to an acoustic trio, which unfortunately drained the songs from any anthemic punch. Band of Horses then led off with the lilting "Way Back Home," moving into the sweeping orchestral gestures of "Factory," both from Infinite Arms (2010).  Another hit for the band, "Ode to LRC" from Cease to Begin (2007) was offered up early, a song with the audacity to break into a "la-di-da" ending after declaring "The world is such a wonderful place" over and over (as captured in the video below). "No One's Gonna Love You" brought another highlight with heartfelt lyrics how "No one's gonna love you more than I do" (my soundtrack choice if I should ever feel a need to renew my wedding vows).  

Brindell earnestly responded to the appreciative crowd with lots of "thanks y'all," allowing the music to do the requisite soul bearing. Even bandmates Ramsey and Reynolds knew to step back occasionally and keep things still to let the passionate vocals ring out through the venue. Check out the set list along with some photos and videos, plus at the very end of the post is an awesome poster printed especially for the night by a friend of the band (that I got signed by all five members of the band after the show!)

Happy fans with set list (thx for the photo op!)

Midlake

Me & Asheville's own Tyler Ramsey

Paul & Ryan Monroe

The Fab Faux @ The Capitol Theatre, NY June 28

Fab Faux founder Will Lee

The Fab Faux is more than just a Beatles tribute band. For over seventeen years, this group of overly accomplished musicians have dedicated themselves to performing songs by The Beatles live in concert and of course many of the songs never existed this way. The entire White Album was revisited June 28 at The Capitol Theatre, a lovingly refurbished venue in Port Chester, NY. This double album, released in 1968 without a name or iconography beyond the original fab four's moniker, is more a collage of creative minds as the band was falling apart. Yet the songs still remain incredibly strong -- especially when presented live.

Bassist Will Lee of the Late Show with David Letterman founded The Fab Faux and makes a fine frontman, strutting the stage in white pants with a peace sign as a belt buckle (changing from a black ruffled shirt to a white one at the break between discs). He even found a way across the balcony and back again, bringing this group of musical all stars into synch.  Lee graciously introduced harpist Erin Hill, the Hogshead Horns and the Creme Tangerine Strings, all on hand to flesh out the sound, and chatted in glowing terms about how The Beatles oevre is truly "our classical music." He gamely tossed out souvenir guitar picks throughout the show, admitting that yes he really did hit someone in the eye once. I managed to snag one during the night, a nice companion piece for one from a Letterman visit long ago...

Members Jimmy Vivino (Conan), Rich Pagano, Jack Petruzzelli and Frank Agnello were joined by Jim Boggia to offer this complex mix of amazing Beatles tunes back to back.  And as if thirty songs from the White Album wasn't enough, including the eight minute performance piece "Revolution 9" that Lee called a "guilty pleasure," the band returned with two singles as an encore. They cranked out the electric version "Revolution" to rock out the crowd before they ended the night happily singing along to "Hey Jude." But the song that took me right back to the day was the vampy, "Why Don't We Do It in the Road," which I would sing at the top of my lungs after climbing my favorite tree in the yard of my childhood home. (I can only image what the neighbors thought!) Relive that concert moment in the video on YouTube here or below, along with a few photos taken at the Cap's bar called Garcias.

Meeting Will Lee after the show 

Jim Boggia and my perma-date Paul