Written by Mike Koehler Wednesday, 23 October 2013 09:59
I did hope for a few older solo tracks and some older Smog songs, but that’s not really a complaint when the quality of songs played is this good.
Old Rock House, St. Louis
I was pleasantly surprised to see as large of a crowd as there was for Bill Callahan. Outside of an occasional play on KDXH, I do not believe his music or his former band Smog, ever played much, if at all, on the air here. Which is a shame as Callahan (and Smog) are fantastic and are able to effortlessly blend simply structured lo-fi jams with heartfelt lyrics that are mostly introspective about the mundane trivialities of life. This doesn’t mean he’s not afraid to branch out into other wider-reaching topics, which he did for 2011’s Apocalypse. And his rich voice just adds to the warmth of his songs; it’s like a cross between Leonard Cohen and Mark Lanegan. Again, very surprised at how much of a crowd there was.
The show was part of Old Rock House’s Listening Room series, so it was mostly a seated affair which really seemed to fit. The intimacy of his lyrics, particularly those on his new tracks from this year’s Dream River would have been lost with bodies packed in like sardines on the floor. Things started off with opener Circuit Des Yeux. She has an absolutely massive voice; however, her delivery really lacked control, and it made it very difficult to understand what she was singing. She is an excellent guitar player and fully committed herself to her work, which is great and all. I’m guessing from the somber tone of her music and her almost guttural delivery, the songs were very personal and very serious in nature. I would be very curious to read her lyrics and give her music more of a chance as I think she has something there but it was a bit … jarring to see live.
Callahan’s set comprised mostly of songs from this year’s Dream River and 2011’s Apocalypse. Both albums are outstanding, so it made for a good set. I did hope for a few older solo tracks and some older Smog songs, but that’s not really a complaint when the quality of songs played is this good. I believe they played every track from Dream River which makes sense as it just came out about a month ago and are touring to support it. Callahan’s music always seems like an exercise in restraint — that the music is just about to explode outward to counteract his laid back almost spoken word delivery of his lyrics. You can really see that in a live setting as guitarist Matt Kinsey was just on that edge of letting things rip, and when he was given the chance to a couple of times, he really got the crowd worked into a bit of a frenzy. Most of Callahan’s songs normally do not have long extended jams; however, live he extends a few out and that really fits the mood to those particular pieces. Callahan himself seemed ready to explode a few times as he was doing this little stutter step march from time to time, like he was anxious about something.
It’s hard to believe that Callahan has been around for over 20 years making music. He sure as hell doesn’t look like he’s been around that long (or touring that long), and his voice hasn’t deteriorated over time. Having never seen Bill or Smog live before, I went in with zero expectations and was just happy I got the chance to go. I wasn’t sure if his laid back demeanor would work live. Thankfully it does. Again it’s that exercise in control and when they do cut loose it’s even more poignant. Very pleased with the show we got, and the crowd there was very happy with the show as well. Ultimately, that’s what matters, the crowd went home happy. Excellent. | Mike Koehler