Re-Start Together: The Return Of Sleater-Kinney

SLEATER-KINNEY

KNITTING FACTORY

SPOKANE, WA

08 FEBRUARY, 2015

Unbeknownst to us at the time, but perfectly in keeping, Sleater Kinney had spent the last 18 months of a nine year hiatus plotting and planning their resurface. Not content with milking the hits, they boiled up new material, honed it mercilessly, and somehow kept the whole process dark from the public, no mean feat in this age of 24/7 internet-driven gossip. During their hiatus, the band: Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein, and Janet Weiss, certainly had no problem keeping busy, with Tucker forming the Corin Tucker Band, Brownstein blogging for NPR, reuniting with Weiss for Wild Flag, and bringing Portlandia to life, while Janet Weiss focused on her ongoing Quasi project, in addition to being one of the top on call touring drummers. Last fall, Sub Pop dropped a career spanning box set, and what caught the eye when plowing through the bonus materials was a white label 45 that simply said: "01/20/15". Containing their first new music released to the world since 2005's The Woods, it set off the proverbial avalanche. No Cities To Love was the album that matched up with the Date Of Mystery, and it is a corker, Wasting no time, they announced a tour, prefacing it with a scorching David Letterman appearance, and that brings us to Spokane.

While the rest of what's left of the Industry focused on their annual congrat-fest known as the Grammys, this Sunday evening marked the return to active duty for the band, adding Katie Harkin from Sky Larkin to fill out the proceedings. The Knitting Factory in Spokane was sold out to its 1500 capacity, and the faithful came from as far away as the UK to be present for this moment. Any notion of a sepia-tinged nostalgia gig were quickly dispelled as they kicked off with the first two cuts from the new LP, economic anxiety anthem "Price Tag" and "Fangless". Over the course of the night, they would work in almost all of No Cities To Love, cherry-picking their robust back catalog to fill in the rest. First foray into the past was The Hot Rock's "Start Together", which gave its name to the aforementioned box set, and the frenzy escalated when they moved into "Oh!" from One Beat.
Back to the new for a thundering "No Anthems", before dropping a trio of "Get Up", "Ironclad", and "One Beat" into the proceedings, and it speaks to the power of the set that they can drop lead single "Bury Our Friends" into the middle. "What's Mine Is Yours" was the shredding showcase that set up the gut punch of "One More Hour", still an emotional touchstone in the group's work. Title track of the new album and "Surface Envy" followed, and it was time again to marvel at the new material's strength, before dropping headlong into "Words and Guitar". The peak of the night for me was the closing quartet of the main set. When the screams died down after Corin Tucker belted out the first line of "Sympathy", it was replaced by the crowd bellowing back at her, fully engaged. After a breathless take on "A New Wave", the band laid out a double shot from The Woods, with a snarling "Entertainment" giving way to "Jumpers".

The shows of their final (pre-hiatus) tour in 2006 had a desperate car crash intensity, where every emotion was magnified, and it was actually a relief that the tenor of this show was celebratory-a lot of smiling and winning chemistry between the ladies. It could have easily been a cash-grab, but Sleater Kinney were never about half-measures, and this night proved that, no matter what, they would do it their way.

Lizzo, (from Minnesota), got the prized opening slot on this tour, making the most it with a burning set, her intensity matched by her DJ. "Batches and Cookies" was a high point, and the live drummer added extra punch to the sound. It was a great introduction to a talent whose skill and heart showed through, and I'll look forward to catching up with her again.

 

LIZZO

Return Of The Prodigal Son: Father John Misty live

FATHER JOHN MISTY
ROARING CAMP RAILROADS

FELTON, CA

16 JANUARY, 2015

Gearing up for next month's release of the second chapter in the life and times of Father John Misty, the rustic Bret Harte Auditorium at Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton, CA turned out to be the proving ground: the first night of tour for I Love You, Honeybear. As part of a tenth anniversary run of shows, the good folks at Folk Yeah once again provided an inspired match of artist and venue. Shedding Benji and Jeff from the touring lineup cast big holes on either side of the stage, but with an increased emphasis on electronics and the roll out of the rest of the Honeybear songs, it proved to be a banner night, as their replacements were more than capable, just a touch on the tentative side, but this was the first night, after all. Where Mk. I of the Misty Band was prone to spontaneous flights, this version was dialed-down, watchful, and fed off of Misty for their cues, but there were enough signs that this unit would develop its own character, and 8 or 10 shows down the road, should be approaching fearsome.

Misty gets things started...

The big news was the new material, and Misty and co. rocked an extended setlist that nearly covered both albums fully, and even the new material heard previously in a solo setting came to life with a vengeance in the full band setting. Like the new LP, the show was bookended with the first and last tracks, reinforcing the story through all the spills and chills that ensue. "I Love You Honeybear" featured an audience member passing up a stuffed bear for Misty, and he obliged with a brief dance turn, and from that point on, it was full engagement on both sides. Misty wryly noted fans singing along with the new songs already.

"Strange Encounter" took a prime spot in the set, and "True Affection" was brought to life in all its electronic glory, before dropping into a rousing take on the Southern soul burner "When You're Smiling And Astride Me" that built to a rousing conclusion, with the band hitting all cylinders, the pair of songs showcasing the sonic extremes of the new work.
Not even breaking stride they launched into the hilarious poison pen letter "The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apartment" before cooling it down with "Nothing Good Ever Happens At The Goddam Thirsty Crow", another ode from the department of bitter, aimed at the denizens of an establishment engaged in hitting on the object of Misty's affections.

"Chateau Lobby #4" turned up, refocusing the lens on love, and a trio from Fear Fun, "Nancy From Now On", "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings", and "This Is Sally Hatchet" thoroughly whipped the audience into a frenzy, and would have been a perfect finishing point for previous Misty sets, but he kept going, coming back to Honeybear for a 'no prisoners' take on "The Ideal Husband" that rivaled "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" in intensity. The remainder of the set matched like-minded songs from both records to stunning effect, with "Bored In The USA" mating effectively with "Fun Times In Babylon", and ending the set perfectly with "Now I'm Learning To Love The War" and "Holy Shit" comprising a high concept duo of Maximum Tillman.

Half the fun of any Misty show is the encore, and just what he'll pull out of his hat, cover-wise, and true to form, he led the band in a saucy, yet pointed rendition of Leonard Cohen's "I'm Your Man", and where that might come off as kitschy in other hands, the cumulative impact of the new songs suggests that Mr. Tillman has earned the gravitas to pull it off. Ending the night with another savory pairing, "Everyman Needs A Companion" brought us to the simple beauty of the aforementioned new LP's closer, "I Went To The Store One Day", which sums up the journey from the beginning. All told, Father John Misty set a hellish bar early on in this concert year.

 

Bret Harte Auditorium at Roaring Camp Railroads

Ammo case makes a nifty keyboard stand...

Upping his T-shirt game...

"I Love You, Honeybear", out 10 February, 2015 via Sub Pop