MAGGI PICAYUNE

Ben Folds with his percussionist entertaining the crowd with his wit.

Late again on the music element yet I get a small pass. This show was the end of the current North American tour so there’s nothing else that followed to kill any immediacy. As coordinator for Ecology Action, I had to make sure everything was set up before and after the show plus there were only four of us to clean up a sold-out concert. Actually, I don’t mind the “work” because I feel less guilty about getting in for free at Stubb’s when there’s more labor on my end of the deal. This dovetails into my review-synopsis being overdue; I didn’t get to bed until 2 AM which made me too tired to bang this out on Sunday and Monday’s current obligations came before writing. So better late than never.

Overall, I was really excited about this show. Back when Ben appeared on my musical radar in the Ben Folds Five, I wasn’t impressed. The first album got on my nerves with “Underground” since it sounded so smarmy. Austin’s so-called Alternative station, 101X, playing it frequently didn’t help. Thankfully his first solo record swayed my opinion because I think “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” was a better mix of humor and commentary. Ben’s production work, namely with William Shatner’s awesome Has Been CD, raised his standing with me on prioritizing which concerts to shoot for if there are too many to choose from. As soon as I saw Missy Higgins on the bill in the AusChron, this was a no brainer.

Missy Higgins singing a track from her current album.

First up was Missy who will probably be pigeonholed by American radio stations as an Aussie version of Sara Bareilles, Sarah McLachlan, Fiona Apple or Norah Jones because she sings, writes and prefers to play the piano. I stumbled upon her through my friend Chip when he scored me a copy of She Will Have Her Way, a tribute album to the Finn Brothers. Every act on the disc had a female singer covering either a Split Enz, Crowded House, Finn Brothers or solo tune. Missy recorded “Stuff & Nonsense” and did an excellent job; Belinda Carlisle mangled it in 1986 which made me reluctant to hear anyone else do it. As for her live show, she was great. I would pay money to see Missy as the headlining act. Most of the emphasis this evening was with On a Clear Night, her current release and she did two songs I liked from it: “100 Round the Bends” and “Going North.” Before wrapping up, Missy did perform “Scar” which is on her debut; it’s a catchy, more upbeat sounding tune despite the title.

The main act came on about 30-40 minutes afterwards. What surprised me was that Ben made his way through Stubb’s from the back with a security escort to get past the crowd. Normally, the performers are already hanging out in the side shed warming up, relaxing or eating because they complete their sound checks an hour before the gate opens. Outside his unusual entrance, the show was a spectacle of sound and sight; there were still pictures and movies projected on a backdrop behind the band to enhance a song’s tone, mood or style. Ben kicked off with “Way to Normal” which isn’t on the CD. He explained afterwards how fake versions of anticipated songs were posted on the Internet as a prank, including the opener. However, Ben stated he had some small regrets over this since these throwaway tracks sounded better than planned. Maybe he’ll offer them on a B-sides compilation. Ben and his band spent the first half playing the new stuff, both fake and real versions. He would sometimes give a brief introduction on what they were thinking while they composed either. “Free Coffee” was my favorite due to the technical explanation he gave on how he made the electronic sound on his piano with a pair of Altoids tins nested in the strings (I could be wrong, maybe a musician can correct me). Obviously Ben and company played his earlier work for the second half, namely the hits: “Zak and Sara,” “Kate,” “Army,” “Losing Lisa,” “Grounded” and “Rockin’ the Suburbs.” My friend Helen would be jealous over me witnessing a live performance of the last song, it’s her personal favorite which comes up in conversation from time to time. I think we both like it since it’s a dig on all the Rap wannabe kids we see in our respective cities, Wiggas. Overall, Ben and Missy exceeded my expectations. The Onion gave Ben Folds a mediocre grade on this new album which gave me some apprehension despite going for free. This proved to be unfounded and I had a great time. Either the critic hasn’t seen this material live, which would probably change his mind, or he’s full of crap. Probably the latter because critics have to hate something once in a while to maintain their “legitimacy.” Next time, I will press to be more punctual on my concert adventures.

The Presidents rockin' the citizens of Austin.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know this show took place Wednesday night but as I’ve informed many of you, I’ve been ill (on many levels) so I finally got around to mention how it rocked. Originally, I was going to volunteer for this with EA before I went on vacation. Then there was no sign-up list and other matters took precedence. I didn’t feel awful. I’ve enjoyed their last two CDs yet they weren’t on my short list of reunited acts to see with limited resources, I need to keep my health up for Ben Folds and Missy Higgins near the end of the month. A day before the show, EA’s coordinator sent out a request for volunteers. I chose to go on an impulse. Why not, it’s not like my Wednesday nights are booked anymore. Well, I’m glad the EA lady asked, PUSA’s Austin show was a memorable evening during the best weather of the year.

The Black & White Years warming up the crowd. They don't mind comparisons to the band VHS or Beta…they've even toured with them.

On stage first was a new band, The Black & White Years. A really solid quartet that fit the vein through their distinctive sound and subtle humor. They seemed to be a puckish act to my ears, I could be wrong, I never did follow through on auditioning for Pitchfork when they were recruiting. They made a great first impression on me. If you like Razorlight, VHS or Beta and the Dickies, you’d dig what they do. Since PUSA shirts were reasonably priced, I had money left over to consider buying their CD. After spotting Jerry Harrison’s name as their producer, all hesitation evaporated. Who? Jerry Harrison was the guitarist/keyboardist in Talking Heads and the producer for the Violent Femmes, BoDeans, Live, General Public, Neurotic Outsiders (Duran Duran side project), Josh Joplin Project, Black 47, No Doubt (really) and Crash Test Dummies. I had the opportunity to speak with the lead singer. He told me about the fantastic time they all had working in California with Jerry. These guys are definitely in the running for best debut should I get off my behind to complete a “Best of” story.

Meanwhile, the Presidents won me over with their live show. First of all, I never knew the lead singer (Chris) plays a bass guitar with only two strings. He’s pretty skilled with it because there wasn’t a note he couldn’t reproduce when dueling the guitarist (Dave). They did all the hits everyone expected of them: “Lump,” “Peaches,” “Mach 5,” “Kitty,” and “Video Killed the Radio Star.” On the bridge of “Kitty” they snuck in one verse and chorus of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious.” Nice touch. There were contributions from the previous and current album: “Ladybug,” “Love Everybody,” “Rot in the Sun,” and “Mixed up SOB” which has a video directed by Weird Al Yankovic. How fitting, he did a parody of “Lump” called “Gump” with humorous results in 1996. Overall, it was a night at Stubb’s I found worth driving all the way in from the ‘burbs and losing sleep to experience.

In light of this concert, I would recommend revisiting their old and newer material. You might discover there was more to them than being improperly branded the “Court Jesters of Grunge,” who got to do the theme for The Drew Carey Show.