At the show on Monday night, Costa blew through a good part of the songbook, hitting on a good number of tunes from both Songs We Sing and Unfamiliar Faces with most clocking in around 3 minutes. Typically, this would seem like a bit of a disappointment, but with so many well written, diverse songs, it’s good thing to hear as many songs as you can squeeze in a given night. Song wise, highlight of the night included Yellow Taxi, the Ballad of Ms. Kate, Astair, and Mr. Pitiful.
Yellow Taxi opened the show with Matt coming out alone and warming up into the opening chords and verse before the rest of the band joined the stage right as their instruments enter the song – a very cool way to start the show. The Ballad of Ms. Kate is a charging romp that shows the band at its skillful instrumentation, particularly as they enter the fingerpickin’ country blues segment of the song. Astair displays some more of the fingerpickin’ dexterity, but with more of a ballady love song motif. Astair is a good song to pop the cherry with if you haven’t given Costa a listen yet.
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Finally, Mr. Pitiful is the bonafide hit of the new album, Unfamiliar Faces, and the crowd was waiting for it. This song puts Costa on the piano for an upbeat, quirky crowd pleaser with the rest of the band leading the crowd in quick, shifty clapping. I know that sounds a lot worse that it should; it’s really a great song.
The entire band is likeable in that they seem more like friends who started a band – and then got good – as opposed to a group of musicians supporting a front man. Mitch Cumstein (sorry, I forget his last name) added a lot of color on the lap steel, playing largely with a synth tone that sounds reminiscent of an EBow for guitar. This adds a very ambient feel to the songs, rather than a country twang you would expect from a conventional lap steel player. Technically, he wasn’t letting it loose by any stretch of the imagination, but added a great compliment to a number of songs. The drums, keys, and bass all fill their respective duties well, but none are really called upon to step out front and take the lead much, if at all.
The big fear I have with Matt Costa is that this scene is going to blow up into a big DMB-like cesspool of boneheads. This is not to say that Monday’s crowd was anything but pleasant, interested, and spirited; but it is really evident that Costa’s music has incredible mass appeal. As soon as it gets out, people will like it. Already, there are hints of groupie chicks, “I love you, Matt” squeals, and lame couples, so it’s conceivable that this could slide downhill in a hurry. Nevertheless, the music is good, so I guess that is all that really matters.
By the way, Matt Costa and his band had their gear ripped off in Winnipeg earlier on this tour, so if anyone see any drunk Canucks running around in a the buff strapped up to that one man band contraption from Mr. Pitiful, please contact the local authorities.
Matt Costa Setlist
Set: Yellow Taxi, Ballad Of Miss Kate, Lilacs, Trying To Lose My Mind, Mr. Pitiful, Behind The Moon, Cigarette Eyes
Unfamiliar Faces, Mole In The Ground > Sunshine, Sweet Rose, Cold December, Sweet Thursday, Miss Magnolia, Emergency Call, Astair, Vienna
Seeing Johnathan Rice in the live setting is a mental weighing of pros and cons. His onstage shtick reads an awful lot like an indie rock handbook, complete with a drunkish, conveniently periodic Irish accent, tales of the old converted shoe factory turned loft in Williamsburg, and cliché narrative jokes. On the other hand, the moment he launches into a song, he transforms into a musician and soulful singer with powerful, heartfelt songs. Jonathan Rice the musician feels more like a Drive-By Trucker than a Trucker Hat caricature. Throughout the hour-long set, I continually felt myself asking if I liked the music enough to eat the feelings on the peripheral irks. When it’s all said and done, he’s the one with the indie rock juggernaut girlfriend, Jenny Lewis, so what the hell do I know?
Rice’s set was short and to the point, playing through a handful songs not terribly distinct from one another, but all exhibiting his ability to belt out some pretty timeless rock songs with just his guitar at his side. The set was undoubtedly highlighted by his single, We’re All Stuck Out in the Desert, during which, the elated crowd was happy to share in the lyrical duties. All told, there is a lot to like, but definitely a lot to dislike, but if you can cut through the act, the guy can sing.
Other highlights were Further North, the title track of Rice’s new album and a simple folk tune with a one chord verse, three chord chorus turned gritty solely from the vocals. Untimately, I like what I have heard on the album a lot better than the solo live act. These songs simply sound a lot better with the full southern rock band sound as opposed to the imposing mysterious solo artist.
When it comes down to it, this conversation from the first two minutes of his time on stage with some funny neighbors sums it up quite succinctly…
“Thing about guys with long hair like that is they just just look like girls.”
“Is he wearing spandex?”
“And he kinda talks like Dustin Hoffman from Tootsie.”
“Yeah, it sort of feels like we’re watching Singles, doesn’t it?”
(music starts) “Whoa, he has a great voice. I didn’t expect that at all.”
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When it’s all said and done, the moral of this story is that both of these acts are massively talented, but have a little baggage. Clearly, this isn’t the jamband scene and it never was or will be, so it’s like it or leave it. The aesthetics of the people, place, and things are definitely part of the live experience and easy to pick apart – particularly if you can’t kick that Phish lot mentality – but if you focus on the music, these are two very talented performers and have very big things in their respective futures.
One Response
Nice review. I agree about Rice. He’s hard to stomach.