Christa Mercey

One song sold me on seeing Christa Mercey, Throwin' it away, the first song from the Floorboards EP . Something about it.  That rural open-air crispness felt in the first few seconds broke the attention of whatever else I was doing. Brought me before this campfire to hear the other-worldly voice of Christa. I saw this performance of it on youtube and I was sold immediately, and made it a mission to see her at Township.  I arrived already wanting to see Throw in' it away. It's the kind of rural folk that immediately puts you that far away from urban ambient light. I've been playing that one a lot. It puts me in that place where I need a campfire. Then after I bought the EP other songs effortlessly sold me before the lyrics even landed. Oh Storm, Sand And Oil, it was the sound of the voice....the sound of....everything before words start to make sense, the wonder of sound takes you. Thats when you are a fan. . This is the rural folk world I'm taken when I hear Christa Mercy, where there is great distance between the points of light, and farmland in between.  City lights are way the hell beyond you. Christa's folk comes from that great rural Other-world. There are other artists that take me to the same place  that includes Puerto Muerto, Man Is Man, Lost Cartographers, Oh Susanna,....Be Good Tanyas. I'm glad I was pro active in catching this show.
Zig

Walking Bicycles

29 July Free Monday at Empty Bottle, Walking Bicycles with Videotape as Headliner and Pamphleteers opening to me was like a meteor the earth sees from far. And once the weight of significance is placed I can fuck it up in all kinds of ways. This is gonna happen once, don't fuck it up. Anything can keep me from going. And that is a fleeting but recurring thought that plays slightly differently every time, even influencing my dreams.  I actually make it on time for all the bands and each one put me in a different stupor. It was a Monday night with a Friday night feel.  Hell I even forgot there was a Lollapalooza next on the horizon, and I didn't really care. The thought of smelling all that millennial sweat is just nauseating. At Empty Bottle it was a convergence of many friends in one night. TJ was there, oh and Dan The Fan bouncing about. Notable for me was the people from other bands in attendance. Oh, look thems over there. That's My Gold Mask! They sold out Schuba's this one night. And them....they are in Panda Riot. Oh and Rows Of Arrows! I can just go on! This first post is about Walking Bicycles.  It's a grand significance when you know their history, and as a friend it weighs even more. I go to support friends of mine, end of.  Wait, wait!!!! Not really. Let me go on about this for a while. It does blow my mind that I can call them friends. Having said......They were releasing their EP So.
 

Defiant, especially when you put it as a question. "So?!" As a kid that word had the forbidden power of every Mexican swear word in one syllable. I was careful never to say it to my dad. However, I would still get the belt, extension cord treatment for thinking it. What is it about the word.... hmmmm.  I guess it means defiance after knowing. Older, wiser, but not weaker. This maturity comes with its lean muscle that makes Walking Bicycles sound insubordinate, ambitious if wisdom gives special license.  If there is anger, it's old anger, so it can't help but sound articulate and deep. The drummer brings the maddening impatience. No surprise there, he used to be in Aleks And The Drummer. Awh, fucking hell, don't make me go back and explain them. Anyway, he urges everything onward. You forget that he has total control of that urgency. He can project it even when slow, and there is a slower brooding, simmering track somewhere. All the new material has this natural urgency to it no matter what pace they assume. I sited the drummer but its in every instrument, a live-wire desperation. Its in the bass too. Here and there you just notice it more when they allow it the first critical imprint. Like the coolest thing on stage. There is generous parking between the instruments so you can hear them clearly, including Jocelyn's voice.  There is no washing over each other. They fill natural gaps and provide a texture upwards including the voice. They make each other sound brilliant.  Indeed it often sounded like the bass and the lead guitar were answering each other back and forth. You will not want to stay on the right hand lane when you're on the highway listening to this. Jocelyn always with a slight rasp to her voice that reminds me of Lori Petty. Having said that, I hope Jocelyn does not despise said actress. I liked her on Point Break.....and on this one episode of Star Trek Voyager.
  As I listened all the new material, bouncing away to it with Dan The Fan next to me I could not but help to think of their last CD GO?. For me those songs represent the road not traveled. That path was paved and they were ready travel on it. When they debut it 1 December 2008 I believe on a Free Monday at Empty Bottle I took home the poster that actually said they were gonna tour on it. The road was right there! And then something happened to deny them that road. Julius went to prison for three years, I think. Now he is out and the band is back lean, angry and far removed from that path, too far to even want to tread on it. Whirling Dervish was the only track they played from their old catalog.  I am not saying this as a lament. I would rather hear what they are naturally inclined to perform. I am trying to put their new material in the context of Jocelyn's and Julius longer narrative. Something bad happened and they survived it and now their music sounds incredible. I find that inspiring and it makes me believe in my own small underdog narrative.
Zig

Cross Record

Cross Record is moving to Austin and so Emily Cross had her farewell Chicago show at Double Door Saturday  27 July, and then gets married.  Well I think she gets married before moving to Austin at the end of the summer........That means this show was a mission. The lack of parking, and Damen Ave leading up to North and Milwaukee made it a bloody obstacle course. It was a sad thing to see her go. I just hate it when they move to Texas. First Sandra Cisneros moves there, I never got over that and now this!  Oh, I'm just fucking around. I just needed to stick a local literature icon into this post for flimsy reasons. And now I can move on. Having her .......meaning Emily ( but hey also Sandra) go to Texas does two things to the civic pride. First is that sadness of this grand local act leave before the city truly shows appreciation. Yet she takes the Chicago identity with her and the weight of its influence. And at least it's Austin she's moving to. I picture Austin to be the West Germany of Texas if they fool enough to secede. Sorry,.....I skipped a verb somewhere in there. I wish her absolute happiness.
  I think I walked in on Cups in the Sink from the LP BE GOOD. This pensive and intimate track like from a Katie Jane Garside day-dream fills the room as I make my way to the front. I am just piling on the names here. I have not explored what the song says, the how is so meditative. Like you quietly just fell into a deeper happiness. I can hear it as I give my ID to the door guy. Introspection and wonder will come easily to listeners of Emily's music. This is not saying that it is slow enough for your short attention span to wander about. You are engaged in the moment she puts you. To put it bluntly....you are not bored. Live, the music fills the room. It sounds right for the size of Double Door. The size of the audience was great yet porous enough for me to find my way to the front of the stage. I have specific favorite songs, but every time I go to her shows I find more that are on the recorded works that I collected. I go back and listen to what I missed like Skins of Fishes. They played that. Even the recorded songs I listen to tend to reveal after I hear them live. You think they are quiet songs but they can fill a room. I feel fortunate and extremely grateful to her. She just gave me the CDs and download card. That was extremely generous. The power of human generosity is incredible, it just brings back your faith in people. I don't think I bring up what a performer wears on stage that much but this moment between songs was too good to miss. Emily had on this green one piece bathing suit from the thrift store. Grossed out her bandmate......'cause its from a thrift store, but she loved it. She connects with her audience, in such a way its like she's performing for friends. I got that feeling in every gig I went to. I think it was the Chicago Reader that named her the Best Candidate to be the next Angel Olsen which gives a kind of tell....for a lot of things. I'm happy they mention them in the same sentence. For me it means that if you like Angel Olsen, let me introduce you to Cross Record for she is worthy of your attention.
Zig.