That’s some day you got there, folks. In Chapel Hill it’s the second day of Odessa Records Fest. That means: Americans In France and Kingsbury Manx.
At Maxwell’s in Hoboken, Titus Andronicus better watch their back because if they aren’t bringing it they’ll be picking up the ruins of their reputation of a live band from the smithereens support band Spider Bags will have left it in. Spider Bag are playing in support of the rowdiest and best rock albums (country? coutry-rock??) of the 21st century.And I have yet to see them live.
Over at City Winery the unspeakably brilliant Kelley Ryan -with Don Dixon and Marti Jones, is playing an early (7pm) set.
And if Modern Hut were third on the bill at Mercury Lounge I would have risked hitting up Ryan then treking to Mercury Longe.
Modern Hut are first.
If you love, really love, music, you love, really really love, songwriting. And to love songwriting is to love Joe Steinhardt. This guy can write a song and not everybody can. For instance (just because i was talking about him today) Warren Zevon could and Don Henley can but nod in the same planet as Zevon. Cobain and Vedder: same thing. This is not to put down Henley or Vedder, I like em both a whole lot, but it isn’t a natural. It isn’t like breathing. It is for Joe. Forget For Science for a moment, and stick with Modern Hut. None of it is released but you can stream some songs on their myspace.
I own six from a demo Joe sent me and I listen to them ALL THE TIME. They are always on some mix or another, especially… actually, especially all of them. Maybe “Time” and the Marissa sung “Louis St”more than the others… They are sorta alt folk rock but that’s not really accurate. They are really really Steinhardt songs the way For Science were punk rock songs but not really. The cloudy vision of life hidden in layers of melody and hooks remains constant. And that despite Joe revealing to Rock NYC he got the girl he moped over all the way through Tomorrow’s Just Another Day and Way Out Of Control
More interesting is Joe’s take on “Heachaches”. It took me ages to get over the loss of lead singer John Slover’s vocals. Slover has a perfect rock and roll voice (I am sure Joe is well aware of this). Slover sounds petulant, whiney, vigorous, and his voice goes up at the end of a song and grabs you. Slover is just a brilliant rock and roll singer and a great foil for Joe’s songs of loss upon loss (there is no better line in the world than: “I’m so in love with her and I don’t think she knows”: it boils down a billion love songs into a simple declaration). BUT…
But I got used to Modern Hut’s take: Joe slows it down and it deserves to be taken slower: the pain deserves to be savoured: “sometimes I wonder if the sun is outside, sometimes I wonder if I’m even alive” gives up the pain for the resolution to become clearer (and the Joy Division is much clearer). Yeah, you do lose this and still gain that.
So, yeah, given all these bands I would love to see i chose Modern Hut because Joe is the best songwriter -not the best singer or arranger or bandleader, or rocker, but SONGWRITER, I am aware of working today.