My goal is to see one show per week. Yes, I might be that annoying friend that just has to tell you about the thing you missed, but I’m also catching every great show in the city of Chicago–with plenty more ahead of me. Welcome to the Chicago Concert Dispatch.
At the time of this show, it is 24 weeks into the year and I have seen 106 shows.
Woodrow Hart and the Haymaker had been recording new music in the days before this show at the Hideout. So, no surprise, they played the new stuff. The first song, “Misdirection,” immediately brought me into their wide ranging folk/Americana sound. Woodrow Hart had a gruff growl in his vocals and a restless approach to the mic. He was constantly moving, changing his angle and distance, even in the midst of a single note. He had that kind of vocal quality that is able to cover a lot of ground just by being itself, from country to zydeco. “The Creeper” brought a bit of a gypsy folk sound. Graham Stephenson’s muted trumpet had a melancholy sound that got the audience swaying. Ben Brundage strikes me a soulful drummer. He was judicious with the various percussion instruments he employed during the set. Shrugging his shoulders and keeping that perfect sync, that perfect groove.
There was something I liked about every song they played during their set, so I will definitely be looking forward to checking out the album when it drops. My favorite tune, “Wild and Worrisome,” is about exercising your anxiety. Hart hopes that to listen to this song is to feel a little lighter at the end. When Alexis Dionissopoulos ripped into his electric guitar, my knees felt weak. Then Stephenson laid into his trumpet with more texture and blast than had on any of their other songs, and I felt transported to New Orleans. Always a good thing in my book.
Bad Bad Meow‘s lead singer Alen Khan said, “I hope this song puts you in a good mood,” before they launched into “AM Gold 75.” Charmin Chet Wrangler played a bass line that practically smacked us with its fat psych flavor. I don’t know how you could listen to this band and not be put in a good mood. Their post punk, psych, nu wave feel is right in my wheelhouse. The drummer, Anthony Esposito, kept a driving rhythm on the trippy “5678.” As the band shouted out, “5678, who do I appreciate?” over and over, I was beyond sold.
I love a good drummer, and with two in a row, it felt like this was shaping up to be a perfect night of music. They went from one strength to another with their set. The vocal work on “Set.” The chopstick-like keys and dreamy guitar on “The Worlds Most Beautiful Chocolate Cake” proved Bad Bad Meow can slow it down and still make you move. By the time they wrapped with another new tune, “Picklestache,” and sang the refrain “Can’t you see me,” they had entered the list of my fav blow-your-hair-back rock bands in Chicago.
Even better, most of my favorite tunes will be on a record they will be releasing later this year. Love having something to look forward to.
Elijah Berlow presents his music with a string band, which you just don’t get to see much these days: violin, cello and upright bass (Mareva Lindo, Alex Ellsworth, and Scott William, respectively). All their bowing made for very smooth Americana swaying. The first two songs featured Jay Desrosiers on mandolin, which took the opening into that bluegrass twanging feel. Berlow kept time with emphatic stomping–so much so he hopped. The audience moved to his beat.
When they played “Favorite Foliage,” they had an almost railroad-like rhythmic pace that I really dug. “Roadkill” followed, and was the reason this wonderful night of music came together.
His chatter was jubilant, but when he sang there is an undercurrent of something else. There was tension between joy and sadness in the performance. How can you free yourself of pain if you don’t examine it? The song started with Berlow singing and playing solo, capturing a moment driving down a rural road, simple, but so instantly evocative. More instruments joined, and with their crescendo of volume, they lifted us up with them as Berlow sang, “You don’t know who to hide from.” As the song breaks, Berlow sings to us of that moment when the driver sees the deer and the connection to another living thing is palpable. Much like a fiddle, Berlows voice was both smooth and textured.
As the song came back down and he sang the final refrain, “She doesn’t know who to hide from.” Berlow controlled his voice and added edges that sent the emotional depth of the song straight to the heart.
Berlow and his band truly brought down the house with the final song, “Little Home.” The gospel-like repetition of “You know how to be a little home to me” pulled everyone closer and elicited shouts. Berlow was pure joy as he sang with guest vocalist Jolene Whatevr of Blacker Face. They harmonized and challenged and supported and shared their passion with us. It was a great combination of vocalists.
Woordrow Hart & the Haymaker Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Bad Bad Meow Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Elijah Berlow Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
You must be logged in to post a comment.