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| From | "Mike and Roxy" <mikenrox@wmis.net> |
| Subject | IPO Chicago Saturday night |
| Date | Mon, 26 Apr 2004 22:18:05 -0400 |
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Taking Greg up on his suggestion...
I made the trip to Chicago Saturday with a buddy and we were blown away
by the bands at Guenther Murphy's. I came mainly to catch Second Saturday
and got to hang with Wyatt Funderburke after the set - which was cool. My
friend was a good litmus test for the shows as he wouldn't know power pop
from acid rock. Here's a rundown.
Opener: Suzy Brack and the New Jack Lords. Brian's assessment - "This
is cool, they're the same age as us." They played a fun set that included
"They Don't Know About Us" and Brian got Suzy's autograph.
Up next, Popular Genius - They opened with a killer cover of "I Want You
Back" (Jackson 5) and were young and fun (this got to be a pattern, the
energy at the place was very positive). The lead singer reminded me of
"That 70's Show's" Eric and the guitar player was a dead ringer for Hyde.
They had a multi-instrumentalist (flute, sax, accordion) and sounded great
(though I wouldn't have minded if the vocals had been kicked up a notch in
the mix. I picked up their 2 CDs at the merchandise table (along with many
others) but haven't given them a listen yet. I'm just hoping that there's
an unlisted cover of "I Want You Back" on them somewhere.
Band #3 - Kelly's Heels. Francesc got me listening to this band's
material and I was psyched to hear them. I had no idea they were a 3-piece,
gotta check the liner notes more often. Since I wasn't yet familiar enough
to recognize particular tunes as they came up, I couldn't give you a good
live vs. CD comparison. I think that their vocals suffered from the same
weak microphone mix that Popular Genius dealt with. That being said, I
enjoyed the set and the musicianship was tight. You can't go wrong opening
with an early Beatles cover. I think it was "It Won't Be Long" but my
memory might be failing me.
Next up was Paula Kelley. Sporting a fleshed out backing band, she
launched into the opening cut of her new CD "The Trouble With Success"
called "My Finest Hour". It was a very good tune and led off the most
laid-back set of the evening. Paula dressed hyper conservatively and
sported tightly-pulled-back hair and Tina Fey glasses. She was still sexy.
Upon hearing her voice for the first time, Brian immediately said, "Now I
know what Jennifer Tilly would sound like fronting a band." The vocals
suited the music, however, and Brian eventually had his second autograph of
the night.
Johnny Monaco came up and did a lively set on guitar to pre-recorded
backing tracks. Oddly, it rocked as much as anyone who had played thus far.
He clearly enjoyed playing up there and the response was enthusiastic. I
wasn't aware of his Enuff Z' Nuff pedigree until reading the program long
after the show.
Splitsville. Plain and simple *they rocked*. If life was fair these
guys would be headlining a sold-out stadium tour. Thank God for David and
his loosening the rules for encores. The first encore of "Under Pressure"
was probably the zenith of the entire evening (though a killer Second
Saturday set was still in the offing). I re-bought "The Complete Pet Soul"
at the merchandise table just because nobody who likes music should be
without it. Brian owns it now.
Second Saturday came out with a fantastically mixed sound (no buried
vocals) and awesome material. Here is a band whose songs know by heart.
The 3-part harmonies were nailed. When they kicked into "The Chase" I was
as close to nirvana as I'm likely to get. The band debuted new material
(The Fox) and it sounded as good as the best of their debut cd, "Here's the
Deal". These guys are America's answer to Silver Sun, and that's about as
high a compliment as I can pay. For those who have and enjoy "Here's the
Deal," Wyatt's new tunes take his songwriting to a new gear. When their
new 5-song EP comes out, SNAP IT UP! You'll thank me!
Brian tells me that the Millions were great. I saw them 2 years ago at
IPO Chicago and knew that he'd love them. I was having the time of my life
talking music with Wyatt.
I'll be one of the many that talk of the camaraderie that makes IPO so
special. It's not just seeing great bands, it's enjoying other bands with
previous performers watching with you. You don't have to be an in-the-know
auditeer to feel that, my friend felt it, too. Jesus, that feeling is
great. If you've *ever* thought about coming out to one, do it.
Of course, it probably didn't hurt that my Michigan sports teams,
including my beloved Lions, had a day for the ages - Great draft, 2 playoff
wins and a baseball win all on the same day. I don't get many days as good
as this one and I enjoyed the heck out of it.
Mike
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