The Tallest Man Alive, Vanderslice & Darnielle
08 26, 2011 • Categories: Music, Shows
Date: April 6, 2009
Venue: The Buskirk-Chumley Theater
City: Bloomington, Indiana
One of my favorite bands (and favorite singer/song writer) for the last decade has been the Mountain Goats. The band is pretty much a one man show in John Darnielle, but he’s included or featured many other artists on various albums. While most of John’s albums are lo-fi, acoustic guitar and vocal based, there are equally as many songs he has written that include additional vocals, the bass guitar, piano, and various other instruments. On April 6, 2009, I got the chance to see John Darnielle for the 2nd time in my life. One of my best pals and my very own cousin, Kris King went with me to Bloomington, Indiana to see the show. What I thought would be a simple, short trip to Bloomington resulted in one night of amazing music and tomfoolery by Kris and I.
The show started out quite mild. Quite mild indeed. Kris and I warmed up for the show at a pub next to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. We “sipped” on Upland brew and chatted like gentlemen often do. The show was about to start so we headed over to theater and realized they were also serving Upland at the Theater. Coming from the Irish Catholic family we grew up in, we had to oblige and purchase another beer. By this time, we had a few in us and the show started. First up was The Tallest Man on Earth and we both had never heard of him (mind you, this was 2009 - sorry I am just getting around to blogging). The man that came on the stage was not tall (he was shorter than me and I am a gigantic 5’ 7”). Kristian’s songs were simple, sweet, and they made you feel as if love was something new and child-like. Kris really dug the guy and we both downloaded his album when we got home the next day. Here’s a little video of The Tallest Man on Earth (featured right).
Next up was an artist I was pretty familiar with and who I respect a lot. John Vanderslice is a solo artist who has mastered what he calls the “sloppy hi-fi” sound. He uses all analog equipment (recording and instrumental) to produce a flush sound that is very noticeable if you happen to be blaring him through a nice pair of headphones while coding websites (well that’s how I came to enjoy it at least). I’ve know Vanderslice as a really great producer of music but had never seen him live with merely an acoustic guitar. I was amazed at Vanderslice’s acoustic performance. It wasn’t so much his technique or the quality of sound, but it was his stage presence that really grasped me. Unlike Kristian Matsson, who’s performance was in front of a sitting audience much out of arms reach of the stage, John commented on the distance between he and the crowd and invited us all up on stage. We circled around him on the stage and those who couldn’t fit remained in their seats. He put on a great show. I couldn’t help but notice that he looks a lot like actor, Dax Shepard (featured below). Here is a great video of John Vanderslice on KEXP (featured below).
Last up was a man I truly adore. John Darnielle. Considered by many music critics to be one of the best lyricists around, Darnielle has a way of combining the greatest aspects of human flaw and raw emotion with articulate and clever lryics, and then he beats the hell out of an acoustic guitar with little regard for the four track machine he is most likely recording it all on. In some more well produced albums, Darnielle still gets his point across, but makes use of more instrumentation. What really makes Darnielle likeable for me is that he isn’t cool looking and he doesn’t represent something a lot of kids might go for based on the element of being hip. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Bright Eyes, and Ben Kweller a lot, but The Mountain Goats sort of transcend that “rock star” persona given to many popular folk artists. The first time I saw the Mountain Goats, I had no idea what John Darnielle looked like. I was in Chicago (circa 2006), again with Kris King and my brother Mike. I was waiting for The Mountain Goats to perform and the whole time I was wondering why someone’s dad (with nerdy glasses and high top tennis shoes) was standing behind me at this show. That man then sprung on stage and blew my mind with his super fast drunken slurs, and his witty stories that bled into song.
During this show, on April 6, 2009, Darnielle did not disappoint. Unlike Kris and I who had about 5 beers in us now, Darnielle played it sober on this evening and he put on amazing and poignant show. True, he looks a bit more hip these days and I guess becoming famous will do that to you, but he’s still the same song writer I’ve always enjoyed. Featured right is Darnielle in one of his bands (called The Extra Glens, or sometimes the Extra Lens).
After the show, Kris and I were waiting on my girlfriend Shannon and her roommate, Katie, to pick us up (as we had far too much to drink). Someone (no way it was me) had the bright idea to go over to Nick’s English pub and get a shot of Jameson or two. The rest of the night was a bit of a blur. We had a an amazing evening and enjoyed some great music. Everything else is chaotic and I’m glad it went down the way it did, no matter what.