Concert Review: Dignan, The Rocketboys, So Long Forgotten, Warehouse City

Martyr's--Chicago, IL, 10-15-09

Let me set the scene for you for a moment. It is October in Chicago, but at the time of the concert feels like November/December with the cold bite in the air. The rain is light, but of late, it's felt like what I imagine London feels like (never been there, but I've seen movies): rainy, blustery, kind of dark most of the time. Here it is a week and a day later and we'd been visited by temps in the 60s and 70s and actually a sunny day or two. Rainy again now, though. This weather'll mess with you. That's Chicago for you, a giver of generous little moments, yet unafraid to smack you in the face with cold, cold reality.

But going to see live music on a Thursday night at Martyr's has a way to make one forget about the weather conditions. It's particularly exciting when several bands are on the bill, and I'm only familiar with one. The potential for discovery is as prevalent in the air as the chance for all sorts of precipitation and/or weather calamities. Nothing surprises me anymore in these parts.

The show actually starts nearly on time, which is a rarity for rock shows of any size. The first band that comes on is So Long Forgotten from Champaign, IL. I'm sure it must be weird to be first on a four band bill. I'm one of a handful of people in the club, which is a decent place to see a show. It's basically one large rectangle of a room. A pillar partially obscures my view, but that's because I'm at a table by the window. The tables on the floor and the bar have unobscured views, unlike some places where no matter where you're at, you have something blocking you. At past shows I've seen here, the sound hasn't been great, and I think that tends to be true if the band playing is generally loud. So Long Forgotten is pretty loud. Screaming hard rock type of band. Has the feel of a band that could have fit in with the late '90s hard rock scene: Korn, Tool, Deftones, etc. Not bad, but not really my type of music anymore. They have a couple of good songs, but once again, the volume thing is an issue. It was strangely quiet between songs and I could tell the lead singer was a little nervous with "between songs banter". Part of that probably had to do with the fact that there was probably no more than 15 people in the club at the time, 10 of whom were probably in the other bands.

A strange scene has also been building at the window directly behind me. A crowd of probably about eight younger looking people bundled in blankets are pressed up against the window watching. They clap at the end of songs and seem to be trying to enjoy the show despite being stuck in the elements. At first I thought they were smokers (oh how I'm grateful of the city wide smoking ban!), but it becomes clear, and this was confirmed to me later, that they are underage fans of one of the bands. I feel slightly guilty sitting probably no more than four feet in front of them, in the warmth of the building, drinking a beer. But I will say, that's dedication. Hopefully whatever band they were there to see rewards them well for their loyalty. In the end, extreme loyalty like this is what the 21st century rock act needs more than anything.

So Long Forgotten ends and as Dignan (who is the band I specifically came to see) sets up, a friendly young guy starts chatting me up. I probably should have known from his indie rock haircut and clothes that he was in one of the bands, but it wasn't until he revealed he was from Austin that it became clear. Sure enough, Justin is in the band The Rocketboys, who would be playing after Dignan. And either he knows instinctively or through being in a touring band for awhile, that making connections with people is what music is all about. Friendliness to new faces is what every band should strive for, second in importance in my opinion, only to making sure you put forth quality music. We chatted about Austin, one of my favorite topics, and South By Southwest (or South-by as insiders like to call it), about Dignan, who happens to be their tourmates.

Justin reminded me of the guys from the band The Shackeltons, who are a band from Pennsylvania who I met at SXSW one year and had the chance to feature on a podcast. Friendly, enthusiastic, unpretentious, and just seeming to enjoy the life of a touring musician. Guys like this get a kick out of talking to fans and talking about what they do. For a minute they can kind of feel like big shots, which is mostly pretty uncommon considering the amount of bands out there now that they have to compete for attention with. So it was nice to meet the guy and at the very least, whether he knew it or not, it achieved the goal of piquing my curiosity about his band. I have considered leaving after Dignan, but now I wanted to see what The Rocketboys were about too. Personal connections go a long way.

Dignan came on, and from the beginning of their set, it was clear that this is the type of band that fits this venue: one that uses dynamics rather than playing one very loud volume. Dignan is a band that creates a mood with its music. It is filled with texture and layers. Definitely elements of Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear at work, but to leave it at that would be doing an injustice to them. There's a certain originality I can't quite put my finger on, as well. They have a guy who plays accordian for god's sake! He also picked up a trumpet and played some xylophone as well. It's "landscape" type music--painting a rich pastoral scene, rather than right to the point music, which has its place and purpose, but looks to thrash you directly in the head. Also got a chance to talk to a couple of members of this band, who seemed really tired, but also very humble and appreciative that I'm a fan of their music. In fact, they genuinely seemed surprised that I came for them. "How did you hear about us again?" is what one of the members asked be, in a state of genuine puzzlement.

The Rocketboys were up next and they turn out to be of a similar vein as Dignan. Working dynamics, xylophone usage, hell a couple of their members even LOOK like they could be in Fleet Foxes. With six members, there are a lot of these Rocketboys, but they use their numbers well. The only criticism I really have for them and for Dignan is that the lyrics aren't quite on par with the music. And maybe that's just something that will develop, as both of these bands seem REALLY young. But this is the type of music that one doesn't have to know a single lyric to appreciate. I've always thought that Radiohead is much the same. In fact it is quite difficult to understand Mr. Yorke at times. Difference is, though, that when you do get around to hearing Radiohead's lyrics, you realize, "Wow! These are good too!" Radiohead's been around for slightly longer than these guys, though. I'm not saying either will ever be on par, but with time, who knows.

I do like the general direction that indie rock has been going in during the past couple of years. As I said before, there is definitely a time and place for loud rock and roll, but the richness and texture of Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, and those in the same vein, such as the two aforementioned bands that played at Martyr's, makes for an interesting, multiple times listenable experience.

The last band of the night was a band called Warehouse City. I guess they're local to Chicago, but the other bands on the bill hadn't heard of them. Pretty much straight ahead rock and roll, with a touch of blues and Jack White sounding guitar solos. It was good, but didn't really fit with the other bands of the night. They said it was their last show ever, but who knows, maybe it was and maybe it wasn't. Rock bands are known to say things that aren't exactly true. The high point of their set was a cover of Sam Cooke's Your Love Keeps Liftin' Me Higher. Energetic, bar band rock and roll at its finest. But still, the bookends of this evening were a little out of place compared to the middle two.

There you go! That review took me over a week to complete. Life kind of piles up and you put things on the backburner and, oh well! It's my blog, I don't have to explain anything! If you're still with me here at the end here's what's (hopefully) in store for this blog:

Excited to take a listen to the Jay Farrar/Ben Gibbard collaboration, "One Fast Move or I'm Gone." which is a musical interpretation of Jack Kerouac's darkest novel, "Big Sur". I'm a big Jay Farrar fan and Kerouac is my favorite writer, so I'm intrigued by this. Especially intriguing is the collaboration with Death Cab's Ben Gibbard. I am no fan of Death Cab for Cutie, let me just say that right here. but I've previewed a little of this album and I've liked what I've heard thus far. Next blog will probably be a review.

Also, podcast collaborator Joao Morlett has expressed eagerness to get to work on a new podcast. He apparently has a lot to say about a dear departed musical icon who apparently made a tape while talking to his rabbi (what???). Anyway, I'll see if I can coordinate the schedules of Joao and the supremely popular Phillip Groves, whose talents far surpass this humble blog/podcast, but hopefully he'll grace us with his presence. Maybe we'll add a couple more to the mix too. And maybe a second microphone to the mix. And a mixer to the mix. Look for, conservatively speaking, a December release date for that.

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