Concert Review Number 2: The Silos

Concert review
March 26, 2007
Off Broadway
The Silos


Soooooooo...lets talk about the venue first. Off Broadway has plane and simple, with the closing of Mississippi Nights been putting on the best shows for a longer time then any venue in St. louis. Always a little beat leaning to the twngy, affected KDHX crowd but thre is really nothing wrong with that. The venue was owned bt the same people for years and they were trying to sell it for years and finally someone bought it. The venue has been kept the same and books the same and looks the same other then losing a lot of the brick-a-brack that hung in the old place. The wagon wheel light still hands prominantly and dominates the room.

But this has always been a screwed up venue. The shows never start before 9 and it does not make any difference whether we are talking Saturday or Monday. That is tolerable even on a Monday but for the fact that they always have a local opening act, along with the opening act, before the main act and...well that is three bands and inevitably that means the band you really want to see never goes on before 11:00 and on a Monday...to start your week, that is just too damn late for daddy. It is another case where I am old and stupid enough that i want to write them a letter... to explain how right I am and how wrong they are...share my wisdom....what an idiot I am.

I don’t remember the name of the opening band. They were good and tuneful. They had a vocalist who souded like Jimmy Ryan of the Blood Oranges and a female singer who could of been in my wife’s family she looked so familiar. I would of been happy with them as the opener. Joe Dee graham was the real opener and the Silos had been touting him on their website for some time. Graham is a songwriter of some repute. Gruff and Waits like in his delivery, every line is heartfelt and fraught with meaning and well...just kind of exhausting. When he got up the crowd that was there to see him became hushed like in church and he strummed and moaned and sang a few songs solo and then he was joined by the Silos who generally had a good time. Walter Salas Hamara who leads the Siols played guitar and on one number even pounded the skins. It is apparent they have an affinity for one another and are enjoying touring together. He did not change my life.

After another small break and getting some air the Silos started their set. I had prepared a set list for them with some of the butcher paper on the bar and crayons. Unfortunately it was disregarded. Their new album, (reviewed earlier in the year on this space) is fine but it is short on the memorable hooks and riffs. Hamara is an amazingly great vocalist and seems to sing so easy. I am certain that he could sing the phone book or an American Equity Mortgage commercial and I would find it beautiful and deep. he just has a great mournful voice. Graham played guitar with the band and stayed in the background and his rhythm section tore it up nicely.

Interspersed with the new material he sang “Take Some Drugs and Drive Aorund”, “When the Telephone Rings” and a few others. The set was kind of uninspired and it was just sooooo late. Beatle Bob was there and I got my first pic of 07 so I have that going for me. Hamara does this brilliant thing where he has an acoustic guitar all rigged up to an effect box and he can play as loud or as soft as he wants and can really rip the cover off of it if he wants to. he has been shaking up the Alt-Country and rock scenes since 93 and his great CD “Cuba” but for my money...get “Susan Across the Ocean.” At his heart he is just a rock and roller but he has a love of poetry and song structure which reward you if you listen...but not tonight. Tonight ne played the new stuff and not much else...and...sadly and embarrassingly enough i left before the encore.
Over all it just was an uninspiring show, Mondays anywhere are tough. Monday nights in St. louis at 11:00 are stone losers and he did not bring enough to carry this one off. I will never hesitate to go see the guy but I didn’t get home till 1:00 and that.... just does not work. I will give it 6 1/2 Slingers on the 10 scale.