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Smokestack with Alias Jones, Bluf and The Frankl Project
Friday · The Mad Frog
Folks who aren't huge fans of either Bruce Hornsby or the Grateful Dead are often surprised to find out that Hornsby collaborated extensively and toured with the Dead in the '90s. If the piano-heavy Jam vibe sounds intriguing to you, Smokestack is a band to look into. The Ann Arbor, Mich., quartet does intelligent Fusion and plenty of extended improvisation, but with strong, academic Jazz foundations to keep them anchored. James Sibley is the man behind the keyboards and the proverbial curtain, directing jams and acting as the focal point for most of the songs. One quality that consistently sets Smokestack apart is their sharp Pop sensibility and expressive lyrics, although most of the songs will never see airplay due to their length. This is probably a factor in the rapid tape trading that the band inspires, exceeding the typical levels for up-and-coming Jam bands. The circulation of these live recordings has probably done as much for the band as their own releases to spread their fame beyond the region. The official discs are nothing to sneeze at, though. Their 2001 debut, It's Coming Down, and last year's Chasing the Hippo are both full of Phish-esque marriages of Latin, Bluegrass, Rock and Reggae stamped with Smokestack's hook-friendly approach. Plus, attention to production details sets these albums apart from the real-time-tweaked recordings most tapers churn out.
Either way, the live energy encourages the band's palpable vibe and should be absorbed in person for maximum effect. (Ezra Waller)
Mercy Creek with Ashley Peacock
Saturday · Jack Quinn's Emerald Ballroom
Offering the kind of grounded Earth Pop that artists like Damien Rice, Sixpence None the Richer and Cincinnati's own Over the Rhine have used to cultivate huge cult followings, the duo Mercy Creek live their lives on the road (although they are officially headquartered in Virginia). Proudly independent, the twosome of Cheryl Nystrom (guitar/vocals) and Jim Ball (percussion) writes while traveling, which perhaps informs their uniquely organic sound. But a better clue into their acoustic-based Folk Pop's origins could be found in Nystrom's upbringing. The singer began writing songs at 12, disconnected from the popular music of her day. Mercy Creek's music has the kind of timelessness that suggests Nystrom was probably listening to Joni Mitchell, Peggy Lee, Dusty Springfield, Janis Joplin and even Woodstock vet Melanie over whatever Top 40 radio was spewing back then. It's her voice that is the heart of Mercy Creek's placid sound, as she radiates the kind of soulfulness that defies space and time. Ball's expansive, accomplished drumming approach (partly the result of his MacGyver-ed set-up, which involves an African djembe, brushes and duct tape) makes that overwrought music critic cliché "They don't sound like just two people" a reality when it comes to live shows. On their third self-released album, Storm Has Blown Over (produced by Bloomington-based Paul Mahern, who has worked with likeminded artists including Lisa Germano and the aforementioned OTR), the duo's tranquil songs (which do "rock out" on occasion, though in a decidedly "Adult Contemporary" way) are nicely augmented by keys, bass, violin and electric guitar. But it's evident that Nystrom's sensual vocal presence and Ball's resonant drum work is at the core of their songs' potency. (Mike Breen)
Matchbook Romance with Mest, Fall Out Boy and Dynamite Boy
Tuesday · Bogart's
It's pretty rare that the words "visionary," "ambitious concept" and "Emo/Punk" show up in the same sentence as a description of a single musical entity. Matchbook Romance from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., live up to all of that and more. The quartet started as Fizzlewink and then mutated into The Getaway in 1997, making a live reputation in the Northeast by way of their outrageous self-designed and self-maintained Web site and crafty promotional use of downloading sites for unsigned bands like
 Smokestack
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Smokestack with Alias Jones, Bluf and The Frankl Project
Friday · The Mad Frog
Folks who aren't huge fans of either Bruce Hornsby or the Grateful Dead are often surprised to find out that Hornsby collaborated extensively and toured with the Dead in the '90s. If the piano-heavy Jam vibe sounds intriguing to you, Smokestack is a band to look into. The Ann Arbor, Mich., quartet does intelligent Fusion and plenty of extended improvisation, but with strong, academic Jazz foundations to keep them anchored. James Sibley is the man behind the keyboards and the proverbial curtain, directing jams and acting as the focal point for most of the songs. One quality that consistently sets Smokestack apart is their sharp Pop sensibility and expressive lyrics, although most of the songs will never see airplay due to their length. This is probably a factor in the rapid tape trading that the band inspires, exceeding the typical levels for up-and-coming Jam bands. The circulation of these live recordings has probably done as much for the band as their own releases to spread their fame beyond the region. The official discs are nothing to sneeze at, though. Their 2001 debut, It's Coming Down, and last year's Chasing the Hippo are both full of Phish-esque marriages of Latin, Bluegrass, Rock and Reggae stamped with Smokestack's hook-friendly approach. Plus, attention to production details sets these albums apart from the real-time-tweaked recordings most tapers churn out.
Either way, the live energy encourages the band's palpable vibe and should be absorbed in person for maximum effect. (Ezra Waller)
Mercy Creek with Ashley Peacock
Saturday · Jack Quinn's Emerald Ballroom
Offering the kind of grounded Earth Pop that artists like Damien Rice, Sixpence None the Richer and Cincinnati's own Over the Rhine have used to cultivate huge cult followings, the duo Mercy Creek live their lives on the road (although they are officially headquartered in Virginia). Proudly independent, the twosome of Cheryl Nystrom (guitar/vocals) and Jim Ball (percussion) writes while traveling, which perhaps informs their uniquely organic sound. But a better clue into their acoustic-based Folk Pop's origins could be found in Nystrom's upbringing. The singer began writing songs at 12, disconnected from the popular music of her day. Mercy Creek's music has the kind of timelessness that suggests Nystrom was probably listening to Joni Mitchell, Peggy Lee, Dusty Springfield, Janis Joplin and even Woodstock vet Melanie over whatever Top 40 radio was spewing back then. It's her voice that is the heart of Mercy Creek's placid sound, as she radiates the kind of soulfulness that defies space and time. Ball's expansive, accomplished drumming approach (partly the result of his MacGyver-ed set-up, which involves an African djembe, brushes and duct tape) makes that overwrought music critic cliché "They don't sound like just two people" a reality when it comes to live shows. On their third self-released album, Storm Has Blown Over (produced by Bloomington-based Paul Mahern, who has worked with likeminded artists including Lisa Germano and the aforementioned OTR), the duo's tranquil songs (which do "rock out" on occasion, though in a decidedly "Adult Contemporary" way) are nicely augmented by keys, bass, violin and electric guitar. But it's evident that Nystrom's sensual vocal presence and Ball's resonant drum work is at the core of their songs' potency. (Mike Breen)
Matchbook Romance with Mest, Fall Out Boy and Dynamite Boy
Tuesday · Bogart's
It's pretty rare that the words "visionary," "ambitious concept" and "Emo/Punk" show up in the same sentence as a description of a single musical entity. Matchbook Romance from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., live up to all of that and more. The quartet started as Fizzlewink and then mutated into The Getaway in 1997, making a live reputation in the Northeast by way of their outrageous self-designed and self-maintained Web site and crafty promotional use of downloading sites for unsigned bands like MP3.com and punknews.org. It was through the latter that Epitaph Records honcho Brett Gurewitz discovered the band and offered them a contract (and the legal advice to change their name to avoid a suit from a similarly named band) as well his services as producer for their debut EP, last year's blazing West for Wishing. It was merely a glimpse of the band's mature and melodic full-length, Stories and Alibis, which followed a few months later. Under the veteran boardsmanship of Joe Barresi (known for his work with Pennywise and Weezer), Matchbook Romance (vocalist/guitarist Andrew Jordon, guitarist/vocalist Judas Depaolo, bassist/vocalist Ryan Kienle, drummer Aaron Stern) pushed the envelope of their already expansive Emo/Punk sound to include string-laden (but still powerful) ballads, as well as their patented full-bore melodic Hardcore epics. Packaged to resemble a battered diary with lyrics handwritten as daily entries, Stories and Alibis is musically structured with the same kind of intimacy and care ("Sometimes it seems I could drop off the face of the earth/It seems I do more harm than good," chokes out Jordon on "My Eyes Burn"), raising the reflective and wildly inventive Matchbook Romance well above the standard level of thrashing, angst-ridden Punk bands. (Brian Baker)
