Concert Review: David Lowery

I come her not to praise David Lowery, but to bury him.

I went to the show with Donaldson and my son Jon. I was really, really excited. I often referred to Lowery as "The Funniest Man In Rock And Roll. I had seen he and his band Cracker ast least 5 times and have the most beautiful memories of seeing them play with Counting Crows at Mississippi Nights. I am no longer sure it really happened but the memory is no less indelible. I am a long time Camper/Cracker/Lowery fan and I attend a reasonable amount of shows each year for an old man of 49.

Johnny Hickman, his long time lead guitar man and collaborator came on and opened and had a perfectly servicable set of country tiwnged rock. leaning on his working class roots he made the guitar sing nd although all the lyrics were much too earnest for anyones taste but the rabid fan, it was a good opening act. earnest and true and he exhibited his extraordinary talent as a guitar player. But Hickman is a side man. An opener. That is none the less extra ordinary but it is what it is. I will never buy his solo stuff. it was (the harshest indictment of all) pleasant.

I was REALLY excited for Lowery. I heard he was going to tell a lot of stories, it made me even more excited. he was always, always an engaging performer with with awesome showmanship. That having been said I have never been more disappointed in a performance, and let down than I was in this one. He came on and had taped down with masking tape his Mac Book. He had a page of handwritten notes and he sat down and began to tell a tale of their (his and Hickman's) time in Iraq. I truly respected what he had done. I was interested.... well into the 5th minute of the story. it went on and on....it digressed...it regressed. It gressed in ways I had never considered which is really quite amazing. then he marched into one of the sweet songs from his new solo CD which if not brilliant, is at least brilliantly done. the song was "I was the man who sold the Arabs the moon". It is a really good song but after the interminable story.... was a dirge. but i persevered. i love this guy and you don't judge a show by one song.

But then he started to tell another story. it too went on forever and I cannot even tell you what it was about and then he started singing "Mery Christmas Emily". A great Cracker diddy that rollicks along in their sad sweet sway. And it was also a dirge. And I started to fall asleep. In an angry, angry way. I went to pee at the end of the song and as I came back he was still telling his third story/song intro that had to do with his love for the English and Victorian times and... I don't fucking know.... but he went into "Deep Oblivion"....from the new CD...and so did I. Donaldson had already left and I was embarrassed I had brought him out When that song ended and the fourth monologue started (and by the way "Deep Oblivion " also seemed like a funeral dirge...I went and got the check. It is always a long process getting the check at the Duck Room. I commented to the bartender that this was the worst thing I had ever seen and he nodded agreement. I paid the check. He was still talking. I got Jon. We began walking past the Cracker merch table....up the steps...he was still talking. One hours... three songs....hell. .I walked out at 11 having heard 4 songs in an hour. I was sleepy, bored and angry. I have always told people that Lowery is the funniest guy in rock but brevity is the soul of wit and he is no Mark Twain. The stories were long, rambling, contained multiple digressions and the punchline was never enough of a pay off. I never walk out. I respect the artist. I bought Neil Young's CD "Trans" for God's sake. The whole show.... 10 SONGS! that included 2 encores.

I know I sound like a grumpy old man but the show left me really sad and the audience sadder. And I hated the audience. they were awful. At least 1/2 of them encouraged him to keep talking. They laughed knowingly. They applauded when he needed. God I hated them. This was not a good show. I have never walked out on a show before in the literally hundreds of shows i have seen over the years. He needs to play his songs. Do short intros and let the music talk because he has put together a great body of work. But he is no Mark Twain.

He is no Mark twain. Someone should tell him. Even now 12 hours later I am incredulous over how un-entertaining I found him and the songs, though bueatiful were dirge-like when combined with the monolgue. Hickman by contrast was light and self efacing and though much less of a lead guy, put on a show. If you have tickets to see him on this tour, stay home. I got on the RFT site and wrote a comment about how bad the show was. I went to the Lincoln Hall/Schubas site where he was playing the next night and begged people not to go. You might think this is harsh but I decided that when Lowery comes through town again I want him to look me up, just so he can punch me in the face. At least that would be engaging.

He is no Mark Twain. He aint even Garrison Keillor.

Concert Review Number 6: Cracker At Blueberry Hill

Cracker came into town and hit the Duck room on July 65 It was...a GREAT SHOW! Now a good showm not a nice show...a GREAT SHOW! The Duck Room, in the absence of Mississippi Nights has become the premier small venue in town. The site lines are good and you can almost always work your way up to the stage. I dragged myself to the show (being an old man) and went solo (having no friends) and was convinced I would not be able to hold up but for the 100th time was rewarded by the burst of ebergy that great live music can deliver.

Magnolia Summer opened up and they have developed into one, if not THE best St. Louis band. Chris Grabau their lead singer and milti instrumentalist has a clear voice and a clear vision. Grabau spent most of the show playing a nice Gretcsh semi sloid body that just had a sweet sound. Sometimes he delves too far into Jay Farrar with his singing but the songs stand up and so does he and the band. They can play and I highly reccomend checking them out. It was a tight 45 minute set.

But...everyone...and I mean EVERYONE was their to see Cracker. David Lowery remains the funniest man in rock and they took the stage fairly promptly at 10:00. Lowery along with Guitarist Johnny Hickman have been rocking since Camper Von Beethoven first broke up in the ealy 90’s. Camper was an eclectic mix of rock, world music and..well...Balkan Beat Box. I could never get into it but when Lowery hooked up with long time friend Johnny Hickman and his rock hero guitar chops, it all came together.The band's website once noted Cracker as "The only band to ever open for both The Grateful Dead and the Ramones," a unique distinction which is also indicative of the band's sound and style. Cracker comfortably mixes influences and sounds ranging from classic country music, psychedelia, punk and folk into their brand of "Americana" style rock.

Lowery looks like a freak with a professorial beard and half moon glasses in tight jeans with legs that look too tiny to even hold him up. He looks like he has MS but has faught it off so far. The crowd sheered wildly and was made up of 20, 30 and 40 somethings once again showing the bands broad appeal. Over the evening they played all their hits but the early part of the set was made up of “Euro Trash Girl”, “Take me down to the Infirmary”, “Teen Angst” and several songs from their latest studio CD “Greenland”. The great thing about a band like Cracker is that they can take an album like “Greenland” which you might not have loved upon it’s release but when they play the tunes live...the rock your socks off and you cannot believe you missed their brilliance on your first 10 listenings. Songs like “Gimme One More Chance” (sounds like T-Rex), “Everyone Gets One For Free” and “Where Have Those Dats Gone” all seem brialliant when you Lowery and Hickman rip through them live.
I am a Lowery fan and loved his work in Camper Von Beethoven and all the production work he has done with other bands. Lowery put together a little chary on his website www.crackersoul.com which give you some ideas of his roots and relations. Cracker came into town and hit the Duck room on July 65 It was...a GREAT SHOW! Now a good showm not a nice show...a GREAT SHOW! The Duck Room, in the absence of Mississippi Nights has become the premier small venue in town. The site lines are good and you can almost always work your way up to the stage. I dragged myself to the show (being an old man) and went solo (having no friends) and was convinced I would not be able to hold up but for the 100th time was rewarded by the burst of ebergy that great live music can deliver.

Magnolia Summer opened up and they have developed into one, if not THE best St. Louis band. Chris Grabau their lead singer and milti instrumentalist has a clear voice and a clear vision. Sometimes he delves too far into Jay Farrar with his singing but the songs stand up and so does he and the band. They can play and I highly reccomend checking them out. It was a tight 45 minute set.

But...everyone...and I mean EVERYONE was their to see Cracker. David Lowery remains the funniest man in rock and they took the stage fairly promptly at 10:00. Lowery along with Guitarist Johnny Hickman have been rocking since Camper Von Beethoven first broke up in the ealy 90’s. Camper was an eclectic mix of rock, world music and..well...Balkan Beat Box. I could never get into it but when Lowery hooked up with long time friend Johnny Hickman and his rock hero guitar chops, it all came together.The band's website once noted Cracker as "The only band to ever open for both The Grateful Dead and the Ramones," a unique distinction which is also indicative of the band's sound and style. Cracker comfortably mixes influences and sounds ranging from classic country music, psychedelia, punk and folk into their brand of "Americana" style rock.
Lowery looks like a freak with a professorial beard and half moon glasses in tight jeans with legs that look too tiny to even hold him up. He looks like he has MS but has faught it off so far. The crowd sheered wildly and was made up of 20, 30 and 40 somethings once again showing the bands broad appeal. Over the evening they played all their hits but the early part of the set was made up of “Euro Trash Girl”, “Take me down to the Infirmary”, “Teen Angst” and several songs from their latest studio CD “Greenland”. The great thing about a band like Cracker is that they can take an album like “Greenland” which you might not have loved upon it’s release but when they play the tunes live...the rock your socks off and you cannot believe you missed their brilliance on your first 10 listenings. Songs like “Gimme One More Chance” (sounds like T-Rex), “Everyone Gets One For Free” and “Where Have Those Dats Gone” all seem brialliant when you Lowery and Hickman rip through them live.
I am a Lowery fan and loved his work in Camper Von Beethoven and all the production work he has done with other bands. Lowery put together a little chary on his website www.crackersoul.com which give you some ideas of his roots and relations.

More overlooked is the brilliant Johnny Hickman. Hickman looks like a cross between Rick Springfireld (gone bad) and Shcneider the super in “One Day At A Time”. He rips it up and appearantly can play anything from 4-4 bar blues to country and disco and everything in between. He just plays so well and frankly has such a good time. The band over all was as tight as any I have seen lately. No set list, Lowery calling out the tunes as they go and the band ripping into each and every one. He...inspires me.
They played for almost two hours ending with favorites “Low” and “Seven Days” and frankly...tearing the house down. A two hour show in that sweaty little room is an accomplishment and these guys sweat and bleed it...everyday. So me....I went home tired..... and I went home happy.

More overlooked is the brilliant Johnny Hickman. Hickman looks like a cross between Rick Springfireld (gone bad) and Shcneider the super in “One Day At A Time”. He rips it up and appearantly can play anything from 4-4 bar blues to country and disco and everything in between. He just plays so well and frankly has such a good time. The band over all was as tight as any I have seen lately. No set list, Lowery calling out the tunes as they go and the band ripping into each and every one. He...inspires me.

They played for almost two hours ending with favorites “Low” and “Seven Days” and frankly...tearing the house down. A two hour show in that sweaty little room is an accomplishment and these guys sweat and bleed it...everyday. So me....I went home tired..... and I went home happy.