knitting factory; november 15, 2007

travis morrison hellfighters, georgie james, aqueduct

so i work a lot. being an entry-level architect is inarguably time-consuming. but since my office is in tribeca, i jumped at the chance to walk around the corner and check out these bands at the knitting factory. i wasn’t disappointed.

travis morrison opened the set around 8:30, which feels early even for a school night. the crowd treated them accordingly, it being far too early to rock. i am always exhausted by this cool-kid shit, and last night was no different—i can just be confident that those “cool kids” missed out on traveling along all the great rhythms that the hellfighters produced.

last time i saw tmh, they headlined the mercury lounge, and their sound was completely different. in summer of 2006, they were more fluid, and expelled a feel of bongo-lounge rolled up in spoken word poetry. last night at the knitting factory, i felt more connected to old d-plan and that dc sound that i crave. the drumming was tight, almost militaristic. heavy on the downbeats, almost marchable. the “our nation’s capital” influence? it pervades all my favorites (q and not u, fugazi, etc. ) and is so distinctive that it defines the dc sound for me.

travis morrison himself is an incredible live performer. he channels troubadour-like expression to really convey his lyrics across to the audience. he’s witty and also weird, but in a way that’s so nuanced that it makes the venue feel smaller and more like hanging out. his between-song banter is priceless, comprising in-jokes with himself, the crowd, bandmates. travis has always been a showman, and you can tell he believes in the music and wants to convey the depth of his creation. it’s kind of awesome. his voice is slightly nasal but always reminds me of a books-on-tape narrator; rich and illustrative and following a larger narrative that we (the audients) can’t sense. he also dances, which i prize highly among all traits in men.

the set list last night was probably a little short for my taste. we got a taste of the new album, all y’all, with the charismatic “moneytown.” travis’ lyrical delivery was spot-on, capable of being both sarcastic and needy in “i’m not supposed to like you but i do.” there were also a strange number of apple pie references which i can’t profess to understand. . in addition to old-hellfighter bongo smoothness, i detected a bit of watered-down go-go drumming interspersed with typical angular-military tightness. this is one of the reasons i really appreciate travis morrison; he’s capable of experimenting with beats! he lives that miscegenation that sasha-frere jones grumbles is absent from music. morrison is a sucker for a good baseline and tight drumming, and he's open to appropriating and enjoying beats from every which way. all the songs tmh performed were rhythmically tight, featuring those quintessential beats locked tightly together with instumental layering and travis’ well-delivered vocals.

i also wanted to send kudos out to the hellfighters. they synched well and sounded great, especially the newest additions, thomas orgren on bass and vince magno who bolstered keys and the rhythm section. travis is lucky enough to be able to cull the best of northern virginia talent into a solid backing band for his creative genius and on-stage antics. i was lucky enough to enjoy dancing to their show last night.

i mostly attended last night for the hellfighters, but i won't mince words of praise for georgie james. they were great. when i saw them last, they played pianos at cmj and it was nothing more than a way to familiarize oneself to their existence. the set up was short, it was a washed-out day in a place of people who were tired and strung out. last night was a complete difference, and it was a delight to jump around during their set. unfortunately, i think they could have been mixed better. it was like someone adjusted the set-up to "loudness" and never changed the levels to be customized for the band. the vocals were shamefully indistinct from the instruments which produced a muddled sound. oh, and georgie james deserves so much better!! i like them-- i love dual vocal pop, i like narrative songs about places and place-based anxieties, i love q and not u. i enjoy listening to their music and jumping around! but i didn't really appreciate the mixing last night at the knitting factory.

and aqueduct? how can i even begin! i think the kiss of death was when the man with the blackberry was taking a picture of the band on stage using his blackberry. this just indicates how different this band's musicality (and cultural epicenter) are from my own. their overly dramatic onstage presence and the cult-treatment of mid-90s nerd culture are mawkish and tired. (no, not nerdy like interesting bookish or successful computer nerds. not nerdy like those rawk dudes in weezer. nerdy like emotionally autistic or nerdy like having no perception of other people.)

their music is danceable and occasionally cute, but overall it lacks depth and the nuances that make good lasting tunes. c'est la pop, n'est pas? two summers ago, i had a love affair with aqueduct's ditty "growing up with gnr." it is epic! it has guitar lines that buffet you about like a small dinghy lost in a growing storm surge. but, i do not think that aqueduct live is able to channel or prolong that epic, swelling sound. it just comes off as over-theatricized and lacking in musical innovation; not what you'd hope from a billing where travis morrison opened the evening, and started off so strong.

editor's note:

travis morrison hellfighters will be playing union hall in park slope tonight with the ever-enjoyable takka takka. will i be there? will you be there? there's only one way to be sure!