Jason and Andrew Play at Schubas

Okay, one of you got that. But that's fine.

So Gina and I headed out to Schubas last night to check out Jason Molina as part of Schubas' Monday night monthly residency. Mr. Molina is the driving force behind Magnolia Electric Co. and before that, Songs:Ohia. He's probably my favorite living lyricist and doubles as the guy I steal from most often. I mean, the first line of Wait is ripped off from some of his liner notes. That's thievery.

Anyway, I've been trying to see him live for about... four years now, and it just hasn't happened. So when I saw he'd be playing every Monday in February at Schubas, I knew I'd feel like a complete idiot if I didn't take advantage of it. Of course I almost forgot and wound up getting tickets at the last minute for the last Monday of the month... but all's well that ends well.

Anyway, Gina and I rolled into Schubas at about 8:00. I read that the shows started pretty promptly and ran pretty short, and I wanted to make sure we got into the club in time. Of course, we were also hungry. So I ambled up to the doorman to scout out the schedule. Mr. Doorman told me the night had been "moved around" a bit, and as I started to inquire why, Andrew Bird walked out of the back room. I'm part of a very very small group of people in the world who would actually recognize Andrew Bird, and I was a little bit stunned.

I've been a big fan of his going back to about the same time I discovered Jason Molina, maybe longer. I saw him live about four years ago at a street fest in Chicago, and we had the pleasure of playing before him at another street fest about a year and a half ago. Mr. Bird is a violinist by trade and got his start playing with the Squirrel Nut Zippers (remember them?) before going on to a solo career in which he has produced some truly stunning music.

Anyway, Mr. Doorman says the schedule has changed because Andrew Bird (unannounced) will be joining Jason Molina for a few songs and then playing a set of his own. This (along with a new pair of horn-rimmed glasses) is a Chicago-hipster-indie-music-lovers' dream...

So Gina and I went next door to the Harmony Grill and inhaled dinner, taking advantage of the half-price bottle of wine night. We rushed into the music room just in time to hear the first notes of Jason Molina's acoustic guitar. The room was packed and hushed. Jason Molina played a set of about 7 songs, none of which were off of his last couple of albums. He's notoriously productive, so I can only believe that most of the songs were new and unrecorded.

He's a paradox on stage: no more than 5' 2", balding, assuming, but with a voice almost like Neil Young. His cheery persona was in direct contrast to the mournfulness that populates his songs in the form of outlaws, pain, the blues, wolves, owls, wind, the moon... stark stuff.

After he played alone, he invited Andrew Bird up and they put together a couple of tunes on the fly, which was immediately followed by Andrew Bird sitting down and playing a couple of his own newer tunes. He's also a virtuoso whistler. I kid you not. All in all, an amazing performance.

On the way out, we bumped into Jason Molina and I told him how inspiring I found his music and slipped him the Burn Rome Burn discs I had brought hoping to have just such an encounter. So that makes the week a little bit brighter.

That, and these White Castle sliders I'm eating for breakfast.

jbg

Paul Wester-who?

VAGRANT HEART Oh my vagrant heart Don't stray too far 'Cause it's just me and you Just me and you Oh my vagrant heart I'm in the dark And I need you here Need you here Oh my vagrant heart I don't know where to start But now that you're gone It's so hard to get along Without you Without you Without you Oh my vagrant heart I've got no spark I'm buried in the dirt Buried in the dirt Oh my vagrant heart When you come back home I'll split you in your sleep Just you wait and see...

jbg

Falling Out

Forgive me if I'm a little incoherent this morning. That is, more incoherent than usual. I got up pretty early to drive Gina to the airport for a brief trip to New York to help launch the furniture line she designed. Heady stuff.

So I dragged my ass out of bed and now, after fighting rush hour traffic, I'm back home with a little time to kill before rehearsal. Add to that an erratic night of sleep fueled by the fact that I played basketball last night and was haunted by some severe foot and calf cramps in the wee hours of the morning... I get the feeling that today is going to be a bit of a trial.

After rehearsal, it's up to Deerfield to teach, and then to the Pontiac Grill in Wicker Park to play an acoustic set. No cover, cheap drinks if you're in Chicago looking for something to do. I play at 9:00-ish The drive out to O'Hare and back this morning was kind of a pain, but it did give me some time to reflect on another trip out to O'Hare, one in the fall of 2004 which yielded the genesis of the song Fallout Grace...

"On the edge of town, the planes fly overhead..." And now, for whatever reason, I just can't get the word ecnalubma out of my head.

jbg

Mr. Independent

Ever spend a day pretending you're independently wealthy?

That's what I wound up doing yesterday. After taking delivery of a small china cabinet we bought off of Craig's List (long story), I executed my plan (detailed below) to perfection. A satisfying leisurely workout. A stroll around Lincoln Square, including stops to drop off my resume at Old Town School, to browse a record store, and to peruse an apothecary. A burger and a couple of Guinnesses with my friend Greg at The Daily Bar and Grill. An hour at home playing guitar and tinkering. A trip to the grocery store, and finally, the preparation of a splendid candlelit dinner of chicken baked in a pouch with red wine and mushrooms, and served with a caprese salad and baked asparagus wrapped in bacon and seasoned with rosemary and lemon.

Now that's a good day. And really, if I was independently wealthy, most of my days might not look too different from that, with the exception of maybe a little more time spent playing and recording music and the addition of my wife. I highly recommended this experiment.

In order for it to be successful, you need to be someone who works all the time. Then, you need a weekday off of work (it helps if it's only a semi-holiday, like Presidents' Day, where not everybody is off, or feel free to take a random sick day in the middle of the week). Finally, you need to have at least enough money to be able to go out and have some food, and maybe shop for some relatively extraneous objects, like a nice imported shaving cream. 

It also helps to drink in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that I've won the Lotto. I did have a stake in our office pool, but the winning ticket was apparently purchased in Nebraska so... unless our secretary Sue took a road trip to buy our tickets... it's back to reality.

Although reality ain't too bad as it is. It's just not... independent wealth. Or even dependent wealth for that matter.

jbg

Presents Day

The rare paid day off... how sweet it is. I've never been more thankful for our presidents. But that's not saying much. Anyway... the occurance of a true two day weekend is so rare that I'm not quite sure what to do with myself today. So far, I'll be going to the gym and then heading over to Lincoln Square to stop by Old Town School of Folk Music and hit up The Daily Bar and Grill for a lunch of soup and Guinness.

Old Town is a Chicago institution which offers music and art instruction, and houses one of the best rooms for live music in the city. I saw Jimmy Scott there a few years back. Unreal. Anyway, I'll be sniffing around there seeing if I can worm my way into a teaching job. Not to replace Village Music, but to subsidize it. Old Town also happens to be walking distance from my house, which would be... a nice easy commute. And then it's on to the Daily. 

The Daily is a great place to have lunch and a drink. I'm hoping to meet my friend Greg there for just such a lunch. After that... I think I'll head home, write a bit, and start putting together a nice dinner. A two day weekend, indeed.

jbg