Blitzen Trapper & Phox- Turner Hall Ballroom, October 9, 2013

Portland's Blitzen Trapper has established themselves as a solid indie rock act over the past half of a decade.  Powered by harmonizing vocals that are reminiscent of vintage Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the band masterfully combines elements of folk, blues, country and jam rock together to create a unique sound.

Photo by Stephen Bloch

I've been a fan of Blitzen Trapper since their 2007 release Wild Mountain Nation, and have had the pleasure of seeing the group on several occasions live, both as a headline and support act.  While 2008's Furr remains the band's high water mark for me, their live show has continued to evolve and mature.  With a very solid recent release in this year's VII, Blitzen Trapper rolled into Turner Hall as a solid headliner, drawing close to 400 fans on a weeknight.  While Trapper fans, many of whom looked like they belonged in the IFC Channel's Portlandia themselves, dressed in plaid, the band surprised its audience, emerging in suit coats and ties.  Front man Eric Earley emerged with jeans, a button down shirt (sans tie) and a suit coat, looking more like a businessman than the guy who penned "Wild Mountain Nation" and "Country Caravan."  This was similar to the image transformation I noticed when I last saw Okkervil River and they emerged dressed in similar attire.  While clothes certainly don't make the man, the image that the band sent was that this is an established act who deserves to headline shows with a diverse and deep catalog of material.  Blitzen Trapper has never sounded finer and I hope the band continues to cultivate their success.

Madison indie rockers Phox opened the show to an enthusiastic crowd.  This was my first time seeing Phox and they certainly lived up to the hype they've been receiving on the Internet and the festival scene.  Their sound blends elements of 80's synth rock together with strong female vocals, similar to Policia.  I would be curious to check out a gig where Phox headlined to get a fuller picture of their sound and what they're all about.

Grade:
Phox: B
Blitzen Trapper: A-

Hanni El Khatib- Turner Hall Ballroom, October 2, 2013

Produced by Black Keys guitar god, Dan Auerbach, Hanni El Khatib's latest record, Head in the Dirt has received a fair amount of buzz.  Rightfully so- the album is one of this year's most rocking releases.  Head in the Dirt reminds me of early Black Keys material with short, energetic songs powered by solid guitar hooks, fuzzy chords, and, above all, a tight rock 'n roll sound.  Auerbach's recent work with legendary producer Danger Mouse, probably helps in the pop sensibility of this release as well.  Hands down, if you want a solid blues-rock record, you can't go wrong with Head in the Dirt.

Hanni El Khatib came to town with much hype and promise.  He opened his show in dramatic fashion, coming onto a dark stage and busting into his set full throttle with a powerful, rock raucousness.  His large backdrop of two skeletons  with the HEK initials were illuminated against simple back lighting.  However, after about three songs into the set, Hanni mentioned how the crowd was "surprisingly sparse."  From that point in the set, Hanni seemed to be "checked-out," and played exactly an hour with little crowd interaction and energy.

While there is no doubt that Hanni El Khatib has some major chops musically, an artist can take a small crowd and do one of two things.  1) He/she can engage the crowd in the same fashion as he/she would if the room was full, and by doing so, endear fans to spread the word of "this awesome band" all around the Internet in hopes of gaining a larger crowd next time they're in town.  Or, the artist can do what Hanni did and 2) Play to get your paycheck, with nothing more to offer. Unfortunately, for myself and others who were in attendance thanks to winning local ticket contests, this had less than the desired effect.  Hanni live did not live up to the rock 'n roll promise heard on his album.  As with many rock acts, the setting you see the music in adds to the experience of enjoying the music in communion with fellow rockers.  In retrospect, perhaps a booking at The Cactus Club or Club Garabaldi might have proved a better fit for Hanni El Khatib.  Regardless, rock chops or not, Hanni did little to make the 150 or so fans in attendance want to go out of their way to see him next time he comes to town.  

Grade: C+ (and the + is merely because I like the album so much)

Black Joe Lewis & Pickwick, Turner Hall Ballroom, September 30, 2013

Austin rhythm and blues rocker Black Joe Lewis and his band invaded Turner Hall to a crowd of about 400 people for a Monday evening of funky rhythms, horns, and fun.  If there ever was a reason for a "Monday Funday," this was it!

The evening kicked off with with what will go down to be my surprise act of the year, Pickwick.  Hailing from Seattle, Pickwick is one part White Stripes, one part Fitz and the Tantrums, and, above all, an engaging and highly professional act.  Thanks to 88.9 Radio Milwaukee, I was familiar with their single, "Hacienda Motel," but, to be honest, had little other background exposure to band.  Truth be told my argyle socks on my feet from a day of teaching mysteriously left my feet, and, for all we know, might still be on the floor of the Turner Hall Ballroom.  Simply put, for a debut Milwaukee performance, Pickwick wowed me and the crowd fortunate enough to catch their set.  Powered by Galen Disston's rich, powerful vocals, the six-piece rock/soul outfit played the majority of their debut album, Halls of Columbia.  One of my friends in attendance picked up this album as well as their Zenith, EP.  Cuts like "The Round," and, "Hacienda Motel,"  "Windowsill" packed deep vocals on top of contagious melodies.  Disston's stage presence along with the rest of the band made me think this was a seasoned veteran act, rather than a newer act with something to prove.

Black Joe Lewis had big shoes to fill after Pickwick's set, and he did a great job of getting the crowd swaying to his infectious, boogie-filled melodies and rhythms. Lewis' latest album Electric Slave got the majority of the attention, although his tracks from Scandelous were probably most recognizable for the crowd.  Black Joe Lewis barely paused in his 90 minute set, playing his red guitar with simply his fingers, and using his thumb to create bar chords.  Black Joe rocked the joint and had the crowd movin' and groovin'.  I love throw back rhythm and blues acts, but, Black Joe Lewis suffers from the same issue that many acts in this genre do: all of the songs, essentially sound the same.   Part of the success of "Booty City," Lewis' trademark song, is that it's energy level far and groove surpass most of his other work.  Too often, I felt like I was hearing a song that Lewis played earlier in the set while he was playing new material.  Still, Lewis and his band managed to thoroughly entertain their crowd.  I'd put Black Joe Lewis as an act whose live show far surpasses his studio work for sure.  It's a fun party I'd gladly attend again.

Photos compliments of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch.

Pickwick: Grade A+ (going to be hard to beat for opening band of the year)
Black Joe Lewis: Grade B+

Widespread Panic- Riverside Theater, September 28, 2013

Widespread Panic provided a little trip down memory lane when they played their third show of their annual fall residency at the Riverside Theater on Saturday, September 30th.  This was my first Panic show in three years, and close to my 30th overall. From 1997-2001, this was my band.   I could probably attempt to sing every gravely note and mimic every indulgent guitar solo from Space Wrangler, Widespread Panic, Everyday, Ain't Life Grand, Bombs and Butterflies and 'Til the Medicine Takes.  At one point, during the end of my college career at UW-Madison, I took a long weekend with a good buddy and saw Panic in Madison, Minneapolis and Ames, Iowa (of all places).  I convinced a girl in college (who's name I no longer remember and whom I met the night before at a party), to let me borrow her car as a sophomore to drive to Milwaukee to catch a Sunday Panic show at the Rave. For a while, going out of my way to see JB, "Schools," "Jojo," "Sunny," Nance, and Houser was the norm, not the exception.

Fast forward a decade plus and I found myself back at the Riverside Theater, taking in a night of Panic with old friends.  Since the band began doing residencies at the Riverside several years ago, I have caught them four times.  Some shows have been fantastic, others mediocre, but I've always had a good time filled with laughs with good friends.  This show was no different, although it didn't hold the same musical teeth as some of its predecessors that I've seen.  There were some good jams, some interesting people watching, and some wild lights, but, to be honest, as a fan of live music, Panic is aging, and rightfully so.  This band consists of men in their fifties and sixties.  While the musicians have matured, their sound and crowd tries to hold on to days and times of old.  The end-output of all of this is a very good nostalgia act, but an act that does little to challenge its listener musically.  There are other acts that are quite fun like Panic (Jimmy Buffett comes to mind), where the time with the friends and people watching trumps the music itself.

For that reason, I give this show two grades:
Fun Factor: A
Musical Factor: B-

To be honest, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel music critic, Piet Levy, does an awesome job of capturing the Panic vibe with words.  Here is a link to his article on the band, recapping the first night of this year's run.  

Photos courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch.