The last project of the two is Black Dub, but the show at the Satellite was not advertised as a Black Dub show, it was rather not advertised at all, but simply referred as a show with a special/surprise guest, and later was announced as a Lanois solo act. But since the vocalist of Black Dub (Trixie Whitley) came on stage at one point, we may have had a good idea of what this new band was all about,… or not! Not knowing anything about Black Dub, I was a little confused about what was coming from Lanois’ solo material and what was not.
Lanois has been very busy producing all these big names, but he is also a singer songwriter, and his last project is fuzzy rock-jazz, with long jams of reverb guitar and Blade’s stylish and brilliant drumming, which seem to last for hours, wandering into a sort of Neil Youngish experimental rock territory with a strong jazz vibe because of Blade’s background. This is how they began the show, with long lyric-depraved sessions, both of them enjoying their murky and muddy sound and even hugging each other at the end of a song.
Then the tone shifted as Lanois went to the pedal steel for two songs before going back to the guitar to play songs from his solo career with another musician getting on stage to play bass. I recognized ‘Brother LA’ from his 1993 album ‘For the Beauty of Wynona’ with its almost tex-mex rock feeling, and every time there were long instrumental jams opening large landscapes and digging a heavy groove, as if they were playing first to please themselves. Not that the public did not like it, but their obvious joy during these endless acts was a true representation of why musicians play music in the first place: because they get a kick out of it.
There were some more intimate moments, like when Lanois sang ‘Red’, a bonus track from his 2003 ‘Shine’ album, and a request from someone in the crowd apparently; a lovely song whose fluid melody curled on itself many times with sweetness.
I could not believe the air conditioning was on inside the Satellite,… in January! ‘Is it cold here?’ asked Lanois at one point, ‘Come on, we are from New Orleans here!’ He was talking about Brian Blade of course, as he was himself born in Quebec, and, as there were not too many exchanges with the public, he also wished good luck to the owner of the club, a place that recently changed its name from Spaceland to the Satellite.
The place has not changed tremendously, but they have extended the shiny curtain on the sides of the stage, and a cameraman was filming the show and was simultaneously projecting it on a giant screen in the back, … wow that’s really new at Spaceland, … er, sorry at the Satellite.
Trixie Whitley came on stage for a song at the end of the show, and it was quite surprising to hear such a powerful, soulful and mature voice coming out of her small 23-year-old body. She was accompanying her vocals with violent tremors and foot tapping as if her body was feeling very deeply the music. Her voice was great, but may be a little too common-soul, the kind you can hear everywhere,… that said, I only heard one song. But how such a young person ended up doing the vocals for musicians so highly respected? Ok, she is Chris Whitley’s daughter, whom Lanois discovered in 1988, I suppose that helps.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-q4DUubTrk&w=500&h=390]