Califone's profoundly rewarding set started with Jim Becker's dad crooning Sinatra's "Summer Wind" like a karaoke champ. The band then proceeded to play for well over two hours. They traveled from phenomenal new songs like "3 Legged Animals" to old favorites like "Pastry Sharp" and "Fisherman's Wife", from moments of delicate beauty to the hypnotic, jangling, rusty grooves that are their specialty.
During one of my first visits to Chicago (almost exactly 9 years ago) I saw Tim Rutili perform for the first time. He was opening for The Geraldine Fibbers at the now long-defunct Lounge Ax. I'd never heard Red Red Meat or any of Rutili's music before. I distinctly remember one song from his set: there was a deeply resonating drum machine, some noise loops, shimmering guitars, a gorgeous melody and chorus. The song was a Red Red Meat tune called "Quarter Horses (B-Slow)", and looking back it was a sort of prototype for what Califone would become. I was in college at the time and in a fertile period of 4-track recording. Hearing that song was intensely inspiring: its combination of simple melodic beauty and sonic experimentation set a sort of musical benchmark for me, and the show in general made me want to live and play music in Chicago someday.
I recently decided to record a cover of "Quarter Horses" for the next Roommate EP. It's about time I paid musical tribute to that moment at Lounge Ax and the dude who made it happen. As long as they keep making albums like Roots & Crowns and playing shows like Saturday night's, I will have lots of thanks to give.
I stole this picture from Pitchfork.
My Trusted MOGs
saw 'em (and put 'em up) a couple weeks ago here in portland. they were amazing but what floored me was how respectful the audience was. three notes into a song, the whole place would erupt as if collectively shouting, "this is the best song!" only they did that like seven or eight times over the course of the nite. maybe more. it was awesome. here's a polaroid i took of tim sliding in a kiddie pool thru a parking garage.
My Trusted MOGs
I wish the Empty Bottle audience had been a little more respectful--there were some seriously loud talkers in attendance, even right up front. But it was also like you described, people (myself included) would erupt in applause at the beginning of almost every song, like “Oh YEAH , this song is fucking awesome too!” So many great songs.
At the end of one of their songs, near the end of the night, this guy right up front said very earnestly to Tim, “Incredible.” This woman with him pointed at him and shouted to Tim “Califone virgin!” Tim said “What?” and she shouted it again, then Tim said into the mic to the guy, “You’ve never had sex before?” He then told the guy to not believe the hype about sex, that it’s overrated.
My Trusted MOGs
at our show, an old friend from hi-school who had tracked me down got real drunk and said to me very loudly between songs, "THIS IS MY FAVORITE BAND!!! WELL, NOT THIS BAND, BUT RED RED MEAT." it was so quiet that everybody heard. very embarrassing.
My Trusted MOGs
Ahh, loud talkers. No show would be complete without 'em. Oh, and your picture is WAY better than P-fork's, big thanks dude.