Sunday, April 30, 2017

Joseph Huber- The Suffering Stage- Album Review

On his fourth LP release, The Suffering Stage, Milwaukee multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Joseph Huber delivers a series of eight poignant tracks showcasing his best songwriting to date, crafting an album that provides both comfort and companionship in the face of uncertainty.  On the opening lines of “Sons of the Wandering,” the second track on the record, Huber sings, “Sorry friend, but I’ve got no answers for you.  Truth is I’ve never been sure about a thing.”  In many ways these lines help set the stage for Huber’s most ambitious release to date- both musically and lyrically. With his trademark humble frankness, Huber offers keen observations on our current world through the lens of an old friend you could easily see seated next to you with his guitar and harmonica in hand around a backyard fire.  

It’s this warmth and intimacy in his tales and compositions that make Huber so profoundly accessible as a songwriter.  From toe-tapping, feel-good boogies like “Playground/Battlefield,” and “15-10,” which feature longtime bandmate Jason Loveall rocking the fiddle with the fervor of a barn-dance leader, to introspective ballads like “You Showed Me,” and “Sea of Night,” Huber takes his listener on a journey through diverse experiences and observations on modern life from the vantage point of a songwriter who has seen a lot of life from his time traversing the open road.

Huber’s songs are lyrically driven, and nowhere is this better seen than on the title track, “The Suffering Stage,” which, clocking in at over seven minutes, serves as both the cornerstone and opus of the record.  An outside-looking-in take on our modern social media driven and, at times self-centered society, Huber’s poised and well-crafted tale delivers with a lyrical depth and style that invokes memories of 1970’s Desire era Bob Dylan: “All you needed was a hand to hold, or an ear just to hear you cry; but everywhere you turn everybody’s busy learning their own damn lines; like a man ain’t more than just a penny in the tray.”  

Life is messy.  There are no easy answers to how to navigate life in the 21st century, but if anything can be true of “The Suffering Stage” it is that you are not alone, and Huber’s 8 timeless tales masterfully weave you into the heart and soul of modern Americana as well, if not better, than some of his more well-known contemporaries.


“The Suffering Stage” is a brilliant record that I cannot wait to hear more of when Huber takes the stage at Anodyne Coffee in Walker’s Point this Friday, May 5th at 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Son Volt- Turner Hall Ballroom, 3/31/17


photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch
Raw, in-your-face, powerful and poignant are all words that come to mind when reflecting on Son Volt's robust 26 song career-spanning set Friday night at the packed Turner Hall Ballroom.  Son Volt is about as straight forward of a band as you're going to find on the Americana scene today.  There are no video screens, no fancy light shows, no lengthy jams, and very little stage banter from Jay Farrar and his band mates.  However, with the power of the music played Friday night-  no gimmicks or extras were needed.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch
Farrar and company are touring in support of Notes of Blue, the veteran band's 8th LP release.  Son Volt knew it's crowd well and played a show that juxtaposed new material right along side classic cuts from all eras of Jay Farrar's musical career.  Set opener, "Cherokee St" from Notes of Blue started the evening out on a loud and ruckus note, followed by the power chord heavy new number "Lost Souls." Moreover, Farrar featured "Damn Shame," a personal favorite of mine from his often underrated solo Sebastopol release in 2001 where he collaborated heavily with Steven Drodze of the Flaming Lips.   Fans of the narrative heavy, alt-country masterpiece Trace (1995) were treated to a fair share of tracks off of Son Volt's iconic debut release including "Catching On," "Ten Second News," "Route," a rousingly reflective rendition of "Drown," and a beautiful "Windfall" in the first encore.

Speaking of the encore, Farrar dusted off some classics performing several timeless Uncle Tupelo numbers which stand up as well today as they did 20 plus years ago.  "Still Be Around," (from the 1991 Uncle Tupelo album Still Feel Gone,) felt relevant and sincere.  Moreover, "Graveyard Shift," (off of 1990's epic No Depression debut release) had a sense of urgency as it may have in its hay day, as did encore closer "Chickamaunga" from 1993's Anodyne release.  A final encore number showcased Son Volt covering Velvet Underground's 1969 classic, "What Goes On."

Impactful and emotionally heavy, Son Volt proved that great Americana music can be loud and ruckus and, above all, meaningful and fun at Turner Hall.
photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch