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IN THE BLACK & WHITE: 008 - XX Merge Day 1
Posted by: pjsykes – Jul 24, 2009
07.22.09 | XX Merge Day 1 | Cats Cradle | Carrboro, NC
For the next five days Melissa and I will be reporting from Carrboro, NC!
Pure
Asheville's Pure reunited after 18 years and played a brief set filled with their distorted, mathy, early 90s indie rock.
Pure "Senseless"
Lou Barlow
Lou Barlow played mostly songs from his upcoming (October) record on Merge. Between songs filled with his usual sweetness and longing, Barlow talked about leaving for Japan the next day with Dinosaur Jr and how he is excited to play his new solo songs on tour with Mike Watt's band.
Lou Barlow "Confused"
Oakley Hall
One of my favorites of the night, New York City's Oakley Hall were fun and energetic. I love all the elements of their pop music-- multiple singers, a banjo, the psychedelic country twinge of their songs-- but I feel it was sometimes lost with having too many members on stage. They brilliantly ended the set with a messy cover of Nick Lowe's "I Love My Label."
Oakley Hall "Angela"
Clientele
While I have never enjoyed them on record, the Clientele really won me over live. Alasdair MacLean's fascinating guitar work is better showcased live, as is the band's chemistry. Multi-instrmentalist Mel Draisey smiled throughout and brought much-needed energy to the set.
Clientele "I Wonder Who We Are"
Magnetic Fields
Once Claudia Gonson told us the Magnetic Fields were only playing one show in 2009, the crowd felt lucky to be there and cheered loudly. The band, which also included singer Shirley Simms, performed songs culled from "69 Love Songs" and "Distortion," including "California Girls" and "Come Back from San Francisco." Stephin Merrit was having a hearing problem, which probably resulted in him only singing a few of the songs-- my favorite being a charming version of "Papa was a Rodeo." There was a bit of disruption when a giant bug landed on Gonson's piano and flew around stage for a few minutes, but the band finished their song, laughing.
Magnetic Fields "Come Back From San Francisco"
The Rosebuds
Kelly Crisp, the night's emcee, is one of the friendliest and sweetest people I've met, introducing herself to people in the audience and taking requests before The Rosebuds' set. If they hadn't started playing at midnight, I am sure more people would have been dancing. They live in the area, so most of the audience had seen them before, but I hadn't and I had a great time from the second they started playing "Drunkard's Worst Nightmare," until the end, which was a singalong led by singer/guitarist Ivan Howard.
The Rosebuds "Lifelike"
Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band
The crowd thinned considerably before Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band took the stage at one am. Like me, they might have been turned off by Oberst's rock star persona. But his latest record, "Outer South," is a really good collection of country rock songs that could have been written by Ryan Adams at some point, though with less straight-forward lyrics. The band, who recently finished opening for Wilco, played well together, but I would like to point out that they were the only band all night that did not have any female members.
Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band "Nikorette"
Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4
Merge Records
Melissa Koch
more IN THE BLACK & WHITE
words: Melissa Koch
photos: PJ Sykes
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6 Comment(s)
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Hey PJ & Melissa, Thanks for the awesome run down of the shows and the photos! I can't wait for the next installment! :)
— Posted by: Cait on July 23, 2009 - 1:45pmDitto! Sounds like a great time and I can't wait to see and read more! Also, I would have thought that Connor Oberst would have had the biggest draw, given that I've heard of them more than the others (don't make a comment about this, please) but maybe they aren't as good as their reputation, or maybe it was the fact that they played a 1 a.m. For me personally, I have a like/hate relationship with Connor.
— Posted by: Melissa s on July 23, 2009 - 2:11pmso, there are going to be four more of these ever so informative snapshots of the festival? FANTASTIC! thanks for being down there to cover it. of course, i am sure that you two are having a blast beyond blasts, so no thanks are really necessary. looking forward to talking with you about that other "thing" upon your return.
for the record, i am not a big clientele fan either, but i do like this shot of MacLean. it's so rock star to me for some reason...
— Posted by: nathan on July 23, 2009 - 2:53pmThis is amazing PJ! You rock!
— Posted by: parker on July 23, 2009 - 3:06pmAND Melissa too, of course!
— Posted by: parker on July 23, 2009 - 3:07pmBeautiful shots, and nice recap. At the risk of sounding nitpicky, Lou solo did not have a female in the band (unless you count his soul).
I love Kelly too, and I hope she emcees all nights. The Rosebuds play frequently in the area, possibly supersaturating the market, so it was hard to differentiate this from what I saw last week or the week before, but if you don't get to see them much, they are a treat.
I've been taking a contrarian position on the Magnetic Fields (well, at least Stephin Merritt) and Conor Oberst. Every MF show I have seen in the last 20 years has made me feel like they were doing me an enormous favor by letting me buy a ticket to see them. While SM certainly doesn't have the mannerisms of a rock star, I would say that once onstage, he has the attitude of the worst rock star who ever lived -- incredibly self-centered.
What I would have like to see from Stephin: "Nobody else in the record business would have ever taken a chance on a triple album like 69 Love Songs except for Merge. I owe them a big part of my reputation." It will never happen in a million years.
In contrast, CO was incredibly generous to Merge throughout the night, when really, he owes nothing to Merge, and has been an easy money maker for them. Plus, I saw him several months ago in NY, and this show (at the end of a long tour) rocked much harder. And I say all this as someone who likes MF on record significantly more than Bright Eyes/CO.
Dan
— Posted by: mccleary on July 23, 2009 - 4:17pmPost new comment