Concert Review: Blitzen Trapper, Alela Diane
As the buildings turned Mass Street into a piercing cold wind tunnel, a crowd of Lawrencians took refuge inside the Jackpot Music Hall. Once inside, in the dim red bar light and the sweltering heat, that same crowd found themselves wishing they'd left their coats in the car. Alela Diane came on first, backed by a four-piece band: hairy dude on bass, cute girl singing harmonies, red-headed Greg Oden look-alike on drums, and Alela's dad wailing on mandolin and lead guitar.
Alela Diane possesses a powerful voice and clever lyrics that the arrangements complemented but never outshined. She mixes the twang of Jolie Holland with the Gothic sensibilities of Neko Case, but her voice has a rougher, soulful edge. Her lyrics, replete with pirates and mermaids, made me feel even more landlocked here in Kansas. Turns out we may have more going for us than I thought -- Lawrence, according to Alela Diane, holds a special place in her heart. It's the first place she heard the sound of cicadas.
Headliner Blitzen Trapper was at the top of their game, opening with a handful of upbeat songs off of Furr, their most recent studio album. Songs like "Sleepytime in the Western World" and "War on Machines" were even better live, laden with shakers, synthesizers, and three part harmonies. Just as they've done with great success on their albums, the band balanced outright jams with more reserved acoustic numbers. Much has been said about Blitzen Trapper's unique amalgamation of genres. They have a sound that is part folk and part electronic weirdness, part freedom rock and part power pop. I can see the Grateful Dead influence -- if Jerry had left in solo breaks for Dr. Dre and his Chronic-era keyboards.
Maybe it was because I was standing with a speaker right next to my ear, but my favorite part of the night came when the band left the stage and singer Eric Earley played a couple songs with just acoustic guitar and harmonica. Without the controlled chaos of the band, his strong melodies and forceful voice were even more evident.
There was a couples' skate song (the piano ballad "Not Your Lover"), a Doorsy jam that involved incoherent screaming ("Love U," ow!, my ear), and a cover of his grandmother's favorite song, "Cocaine Blues" (Dave van Ronk/ Bob Dylan version).
60% of the Trappers sported beards, a welcome side effect of living in Portland. Earley passed on the facial hair, choosing instead to look like a young Bruce Springsteen, with the vocal chops and the backing band to match.
The title track off of Furr, their "lycanthropic anthem" did not disappoint, and the band rocked it out a bit, layering the track with a bird whistle and some effect that sounded like a wolf howling in the distance. Blitzen lost a little steam when they mined their back catalog -- the band has hit their stride with Furr, and nearly every standout song in the set came from that album.
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