Stellar Young at Skidmore’s Tang Museum, 7/19/13, and a Dose of Americanarama

We got out of the car in the sparsely-filled lot and were surprised not to hear the band holding forth, broadcasting from the top of the building, as was usually the case.  But when we circled around to the entrance we saw signs that said the concert had been moved inside to the “rain date” location, a third-floor open loft studio space, because of the intense heat.  That was both good and bad.  The shaded, air-conditioned interior was certainly a relief from the late day 95 degree blast, but the sound was noticeably muddy right off the bat, and the crowd was relatively, well, uncrowded.

Turns out the timing for this night proved to be fateful in a couple of other ways for Stellar Young… not only was famed Albany novelist  William Kennedy holding forth with his once-yearly reading at the Writer’s Institute, also on campus nearby, but downtown Saratoga was swarming with a street party called The Hats Off Festival to kick off the first day of the Saratoga Racetrack for the 150th Season of thoroughbred racing.   For us the good news was that instead of the normal crush for seating, we could stroll right in and occupy a spot about 20 feet away from the band, and began to enjoy our alternate-entertainment choice thoroughly.

In terms of rock volume, this was probably the loudest of the 13 bands slated to play this series at The Tang, and the roof would’ve been much better suited to their letting loose, though Mr. Kennedy’s listeners at Palamountain Hall may have been disturbed by it.  Most other groups on the roster are acoustic– swing, blues, standards, jazz, rockabilly, or mellow old-time-y music as Annie and The Hedonists would play the next week, for instance.  But Stellar Young packed a punch, and the sheer force of
the music was a bit much for that room to contain, though I was in the mood for that.
I went into the show not knowing one tune or familiar riff I could link with this band, but by the end of it, I was a fan.

They were underway when we arrived, and we hung in the back for a minute, then found those seats up close.  The sound guy and a few females were mouthing the lyrics as they danced in place for each song, clearly familiar with every nuance, while the rest of us newbies were trying to absorb it and figure it out.  The room was not acoustically elegant, shall we say– just a blocky hall, made for a working art gallery, not music like this.   I kept thinking that… On The Roof, this music would have traveled half a mile in all directions… too bad they did not get their chance to really let it loose in the outer air.

Lead singer John Glenn (“like the astronaut” as he later told us) positioned himself behind a keyboard to begin with, and splashed some chords for color now and then, but his voice was clearly the most distinctive instrument in the band– a high, keening
tenor with an edge to it that cut through the dense mix of guitars and rhythm, or rode above it like a surfer.   I tried to think of an analogy among other rock bands I’d heard and the only thing I came up with was the singer for The Samples– (stayed awake…
all night long…), but no one else in recorded music was similar.    I also thought of our friends in the local cover band Four Down, and how they looked to replace departed singer Eric Schwerdt for several months… but found that most performers who can sing as well as Eric–like John Glenn– do not want to be relegated to re-hashing other artists’ hits… they want to sing their own original music.  And what Stellar Young did, to their credit, was all their own.

It took about 2 and a half songs before I realized that the unassuming guitar player stage left was the ace musician of the group– Robbie Krieger to Glenn’s front man.
His name was Kyle Hatch, and shortly after we sat down, the lead singer explained that Kyle was a trooper for even trying to play that night after suffering a back injury of some sort that had him in severe pain.  He didn’t elaborate but I got the feeling that was one reason they weren’t playing outside in the nasty heat.  In any case, Hatch’s chops did not seem hindered.  His playing was distinctive and mature, and he wound his way through the mix between the bass of Dave Parker and the rhythm guitar of Erik Flora with a great twining sound I have come to love from hearing their CD’s in the weeks after their performance.  As the concert continued, I liked the fact that it seemed an ego-less collective, as I also noted about Milo Greene in an earlier post.
In fact, though John Glenn spoke during some of the breaks and set the tone with his voice, and occasionally led the crowd in hand clapping and arm waving– he actually settled more into the background during the longer jam tunes, as did Hatch, while
Flora proved more demonstrative up front, and fleet-fingered bass player Parker (wandering the stage in white socks that night), often stepped front and center with emphasis on his intriguing bass runs and leads.  Flora’s supporting vocals melded well with Glenn’, and my guess was that he had co-written many of the songs.  Drummer Curt Mulick was propulsive and creative as well– there were no bit players in this band, but equal partners.  Mulick may have been the one who would’ve benefited most from an outdoor arena– his hammering sound was almost too strong for that room.   

I kept looking at Melinda, who is not as much a fan of loud rock as me, and had no idea what to expect going in– we tacitly agreed we were glad we had shaken off the heat-and-beach drowsiness to become invigorated by this young band of serious indie musicians.  She is the one who made the comparison to Milo Greene’s band we had seen a few months earlier– minus thetheir gorgeous female singer, that is.

It would not be possible to review what we heard that night– knowing none of the song names in advance, and just wanting to enjoy the music rather than analyze it.  But in my scribbled notes were phrases like: “twanging, echoing harmonies” and “lots of bounce tempos” and ” swelling dynamics/ gentle starts to funky finishes.”   Truthfully, there were a couple of songs that didn’t grab me, but the final three tunes they played were extremely gripping, and they seemed to convert many new fans among those in attendance that night, including us.  I bought all 3 of their CDs on the table afterwards and spoke with Glenn briefly.  Two of the earlier albums were under the group name The City Never Sleeps, one an EP, and the full-length one from 2011 is called “Madison.”  The photos on the cover and within are shots of Albany as taken from the window views of the band’s apartment, so certainly some cool local visuals are featured there.  My favorite from that CD has become “Mr. Hide” and I believe I recognized that as one of the best in the middle of their set.

The newer CD. under the Stellar Young heading, is called EVERYTHING AT ONCE, and it has really grown on me as I’ve heard it about ten or twenty times now–particularly their song “We Own Nothing” which still raises the hairs on my arms when I hear it at top volume– a superb original tune.  Just hearing the opening “chonging” chords in the beginning of the song sets me off now, and the anthemic sound quality tells me it could be a hit for them.  The lyrics are full of pure youthful idealism, which I love even at my jaded age–  Glenn sings:   ” DON’T WAIT…. because there is no fate…”

then  later the refrain:

“I’d rather buuuurn to death, /Than… water down my life….”  

and then at the end his voice trails off into a coda—    “Water down, water down…”  which is just kind of haunting. 

The song after that on the CD, which I also loved in concert and recognized because of the intro he gave that night, was simply called “Alright.”   Another beauty, and I could see both of these as worthy of national airplay.  Towards the end of the CD is
a piece where Kyle Hatch’s guitar channels some of the heavy masters, with the unlikely title “Dorothy”– a dense sound that seems to come from back in early rock history.  This is a CD I urge locals to look for.

A word about the cover work, and interior artwork on this CD– it seems to play on
John Glenn’s name– a silhouette of an astronaut in a spacesuit, either engaging a female silhouette or being injured and consoled by her in surreal dream imagery.
When he told me his name right after the music stopped, and said “Like the astronaut”  I looked around the room and saw maybe 3 or 4 others in the room who, like me, might have been alive in 1962 when the original John Glenn’s name was
familiar to every household in America, or at least every schoolkid.  Space exploration was in its infancy and every one of the astronauts was famous back then.

Another semi-bald dude next to me, whom I took to be as old as myself, said, “Oh, you mean the first guy to walk on the moon!”   and I said “No, man– the first American to ORBIT the earth, 1963!…  (I was off by a year)  “Way before Neil Armstrong did his thing… (that was ’69)”

 I didn’t mean to correct the other guy so harshly, but I remembered John Glenn’s
heroic adventure vividly, from watching the “blast-off” on black-and-white TV in second grade.   “What a great name for a musician”  I told young John, the namesake.   Apparently he has taken his astronaut “ancestry” seriously.  I commend his and his band-mates for a stellar performance that night– you won me over, and I will look to see you perform again locally in a place with better sound, as soon as I can.

POSTSCRIPT-   I am pressed for time these days of mid-summer, when the real estate market in the greater Capital District seems to be teeming with activity, which isn’t always the case in the good weather of July.   I wish I had time to write a full review of what I saw at SPAC on July 21st… two nights after the above.  A brief synopsis will have to suffice!   (And I’m sure you can find more complete reviews elsewhere.)

The AMERICANARAMA MUSIC FESTIVAL was held on Sunday on that week, and surprisingly was not even close to sold out– unlike the more popular FARM AID Concert scheduled for September.   Scheduled acts were: Ryan Bingham,  My Morning Jacket, Wilco, and headliner was Bob Dylan.

We walked up late, my wife and I, surprised how sparsely-filled the parking lot was, and got balcony tickets without any problem.  Ryan Bingham had already played (sorry about that,. Ryan) so I cannot comment on that, but his tunes on WEXT are fine.

MY MORNING JACKET was the band I really wanted to see, and was glad to catch  90% of their set.  It was, in short, amazing.  Jim James is a genius, as a guitarist, songwriter, bandleader, wild-haired performer.  I flashed back on Leslie West of Mountain at times– that was the only white rocker reference I could think of for his wild kinky shock of hair, among icons of the past.  His band was smokin’ hot, the other guitarist (sorry I don’t know his name yet) was an equal foil, and it was simply one of the best pure rock performances I’ve seen at SPAC since… I don’t know when.  There were some fans nearby who were totally enthralled and one guy so much so he was jumping sideways like a snowboarder over empty seats and surfing from row to row in tune with the music.   I had to ask him what the long jam was that stole the show:  He yelled to me: “OFF THE RECORD!”  I thought that was an appropriate name.  They also did tunes that were more recognizable from the radio– “Evil Urges”  “I Believe”  and “Holdin’ On To Black Metal.”  Then to show his versatility “Yim Yames” played a subdued acoustic tune solo called “Miracle of Life” which was beautiful.

This was epic Americana indeed, and a 5-star performance, I thought.  If my entire $45 ticket had been just for this band, it would have been worth it.

Then WILCO came out, and I was not a big fan before, but I am now.  Had always heard (mostly on WEQX, the jam-band station from Vermont) that they were a great live band, but have not had the chance to see them before.  If Jim James was 5 stars, these slightly older guys were at least 4 and a half.  The red-shirted guitarist (Nels Cline) off to the left of lead singer Jeff Tweedy was also worth the price of admission by himself.  My wife and I liked it way more than we thought we would– she said, “I thought you said this was country rock?”  Well that just shows you can’t categorize music.  And I need to hear more live music from this band, and learn the other band members names.

They brought out organist icon Garth Hudson from The Band, and that was epic too.
I won’t go through the song set, but I was impressed by the range of material, and the ass-kicking lengthy jams, almost psychedelic throwbacks at times, which you don’t really get a sense of on their recordings.  Great stuff. 

Bob Dylan eventually comes out to raucous applause at the end, and gives virtually nothing.  The lighting was subdued, so dark it looked candlelit, and the music seemed comatose, every tune sounding similarly bleak.  I almost fell asleep by the third song, and it was one I liked,. in its recorded version.  When he did what turned out to be “Tangled Up in Blue”– one of my favorites of his legendary lexicon– I barely recognized it.  I saw him in the 80’s on this same stage, with the same result– I came away almost hating him fof destroying his own songs, or at least, not living up to the greatness of what he had written.  We left by the fifth song, and a large portion of the crowd was streaming out too.  It was an embarrassing performance that to me tarnished his legacy.  He is a great songwriter but a terrible, crowd-scorning performer. 

In the late July Rolling Stone, I was interested to read Steely Dan leader Donald Fagen say the same thing I felt– that Dylan’s minor key songs and mumbled, garbled, careless delivery were so bad that he had walked out on him several times over the years.  Some legends do not get better with age– unlike, say, Mick Jagger, who is still putting out relentless energy after turning 70, or Leonard Cohen (at 78!), who although not really a rocker can still put out a thoughtful, coherent sequence of his work.  It was sad.

But here is my takeaway–  Dylan’s in his seventies, and his earnest band members are probably about my age or older.  They can all retire and I would not miss them.
The guys from Wilco are probably 40-something, and they are still in their primes, as performers who care, who put out great energy, and are top-notch at their craft.
My Morning Jacket I am guess are mostly guys in late 20s but more likely 30’s and they are brimming with vigor and still exploding with energy and verve and to some extent haven’t even hit their peak yet– well worth keeping track of for the future. It was great to see them on a stage such as SPAC’s.

And then back to Stellar Young– youthful early-mid 20’s I am guessing, and still in the early stages of their earnest rock careers… still trying to get attention and make their way but so freaking intense and sincere in the effort!  That is what I still appreciate– you have to have talent, you need a ton of energy to give out, and a positive attitude but you can’t just coast and think you will get to the top without earnest effort.  That weekend showed me the whole spectrum of musicianship in the rock world, and it
was a glorious thing to see– from sunrise to sunset– keep on going, all of you.

Peace,
Wayne Perras
for  Saratoga.com/ WaynesWord2
  Reporting in from Middle Grove NY
 Copyright Wayne Perras 2013

See you next time!

Postscript #2–  After writing this I found an online version of Rolling Stones’ Current list of the Top Touring Live Bands in America– interestingly enough, My Morning Jacket were noted at #10, and Wilco came in at #12 (with U2 in between)!  Tom Petty– whose resurgent band is one I regret missing at SPAC, back in early July–
was surprisingly noted at #13 on the list.

 Perennial Saratoga favorites Dave Matthews Band came in #24 (which I think is too low), and jam-band specialists Phish were just below Dave at #25– which I’m sure would make their fans howl.  And last season’s closing act– Florence & The Machine, made the list at #36, I believe.   That means at least 6 acts in the Top 36 have performed at SPAC here in Saratoga in the past year, and when Neil Young hits the stage for FarmAid, he will be number 7 (though he made #5 on the master list!).

Even 78 year old Leonard Cohen made the list (#26, right after Phish!), and was noted at having performed a 3 hour, 15 minute long set at one concert recently.  Someone in my office–a woman my age who knew him well, and was distantly related– said she’d seen Leonard in NYC recently, and found him to be truly amazing.  So age is no excuse for giving a weak performance, if you are still collecting big bucks on the road, Mr. Zimmerman.

Other elders noted on the list– #1 Bruce Springsteen, and still in the Top Ten–The venerable Rolling Stones #3, after Prince) themselves.  I must confess to not having seen either of them live– mostly because they were always sold out before I could get to them– though they are both on my bucket list, along with notables such as Prince (!), U2, The Roots, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White (who killed it at the Grammy’s this year), Black Keys, Radiohead, Arcade Fire (a shocking #4 on the list),
Rage Against The Machine, and Jay-Z who all got rave reviews in that article.

So much to see… so little time….

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