Mark Eitzel Threadwaxing Space,NYC September 5th 1997 |
NEW YORK -- An all-acoustic bill one night followed by a DJ-crazed concert the next: The perfect antidotes after a couple of long, loud guitar-rockin' nights in the Big Apple.
That is, unless the chattering and echoes of the capacity crowd at the acoustic show Friday overpower the music while wall-to-wall budget art for sale by Steve Keane further distracts from the stage; and the disc spinning the following night comes off as more pomp than performance. With these factors present Friday at Threadwaxing Space, a long, open gallery furnished with a makeshift stage facing widthwise, the once promising third night of CMJ started to look bleak. The performers shared the frustration and confusion of the attentive, seated section of the audience. Young socialites milled about to either side of the stage, plucking Keane's $2 vibrant, neo-impressionist paintings off the wall and drowning out the "unplugged" sets with their excited banter. Each artist took a different approach in addressing the matter. San Francisco's Mark Eitzel rushed through his still passionate set, hoping maybe to play again later, once the restless ones had moved on. (He instead hopped over to Westbeth theater to catch Elliott Smith and company's brilliant performance). Portland's Rebecca Gates calmly asked if everything was OK and cracked some jokes to ease the palpable tension but to no avail. Australian Ben Lee, drawing on his youthful idealism, confronted the perpetrators verbally and face-to-face and closed by performing from atop a chair in the middle of the more attentive and appreciative fans. All three musicians unveiled new material. Eitzel, who could have drawn from either of his solo albums or even his American Music Club work, instead tested songs such as "If I Had A Gun," dedicated to Princess Diana, who was killed more than a week ago in a car crash in Paris while being chased by paparazzi. Even the lyrics to his familiar narratives were rewritten, as if they were still in progress when recorded. Eitzel finished his set by performing the chilling love ode "Heroine" with Congo Norvell, whose latest album houses the duet. Rebecca Gates, who broke with longtime Spinanes partner Scott Plouf last year, seemed a bit alone here. Although her songwriting remains as binding as ever before, her tentative strumming and tepid vocals betrayed her discomfort with the boisterous setting. Ben Lee, although once the child protege of Beastie Boy/Grand Royal prez Mike D., recalls a young Billy Bragg more with each day. Lee's energy, accent and honesty make him compelling even when his lyrics fall a bit flat. Now a high school graduate, Lee publicly addressed his fears and hopes with crowd pleasers such as "Household Name" (about the fate of teenage stars), "Eight Years Old" (in which Lee wonders if he'll ever be as in love as he was with his first crush) and "Shirtless" (about the risks of exposing himself literally and figuratively), all from his recent release, Something To Remember Me By". While Lee's stark earnestness gets harder to swallow the older he gets (a hurdle Bragg faced with more dexterity), there's more indication now than ever that he'll be around long enough to prove himself. Three generations of songwriting talent performed, but only half the room listened. At least those who missed out got some cool paintings to take home. By Sam Cannon for VH1.Com Return To Homepage Here |