great american novel @ the moon, 2.2.08
hadn't been down to berry street in many, uh, seasons, but tonight after i got off work, we traipsed over to the moon to catch a set by rootsy rawkers great american novel on the recommendation of our friend jesse sierra hernandez, who sez he's finally gonna make the great leap into cyberspace with a website featuring his artwork this yr. dug what chris maunder's done with the room, making it more of a music venue, rather than just a bar with a stage in the corner.
maybe it was the proximity to the old hop location, but we were waxing nostalgic tonight (while contemplating the realization that there are now ppl in college who were born in 1990). great american novel reminded both my sweetie 'n' me of the old fort worth cats (not the ball club but the band whose remnants still occasionally perform as icicle & the kid). maybe it's the onstage dynamic between curmudgeonly gtrist will gillham (who looks more 'n a little like man about the fort ken neal) and gangling bassist rob caslin (who also works the four-string axe in lost country), and how it resembles the one between ex-cats john "johnny icicle" siebman and david "kid" daniel. the two musos split the difference on lead vocals; maybe someone can get kid to show rob how to do a backbend. comparisons (always odious) and "recommended if you like" similes aside, great american novel's what we used to call "a rock 'n' roll band," plain 'n' simple. there's nothing flashy or showy about these guys, they just lay it down with lotsa energy, drive, and a fair amount of self-deprecating humor, with good original songs and an imaginative choice of covers (on this occasion, pink floyd's "fearless" and, um, michael jackson's "billy jean"). plus will uses a roland cube 60 like the one that served me well on two years' worth of wreck room wednesday nights. and while drummer chris squires solos a lot between songs to cover what'd otherwise be dead air during his bandmates' several instrument changes, he at least has the decency not to do so during a song. (i'm kidding.)
anyway, my sweetie shot some pics which are up now on her photo blog. and we're looking forward to hearing more from these guys.
maybe it was the proximity to the old hop location, but we were waxing nostalgic tonight (while contemplating the realization that there are now ppl in college who were born in 1990). great american novel reminded both my sweetie 'n' me of the old fort worth cats (not the ball club but the band whose remnants still occasionally perform as icicle & the kid). maybe it's the onstage dynamic between curmudgeonly gtrist will gillham (who looks more 'n a little like man about the fort ken neal) and gangling bassist rob caslin (who also works the four-string axe in lost country), and how it resembles the one between ex-cats john "johnny icicle" siebman and david "kid" daniel. the two musos split the difference on lead vocals; maybe someone can get kid to show rob how to do a backbend. comparisons (always odious) and "recommended if you like" similes aside, great american novel's what we used to call "a rock 'n' roll band," plain 'n' simple. there's nothing flashy or showy about these guys, they just lay it down with lotsa energy, drive, and a fair amount of self-deprecating humor, with good original songs and an imaginative choice of covers (on this occasion, pink floyd's "fearless" and, um, michael jackson's "billy jean"). plus will uses a roland cube 60 like the one that served me well on two years' worth of wreck room wednesday nights. and while drummer chris squires solos a lot between songs to cover what'd otherwise be dead air during his bandmates' several instrument changes, he at least has the decency not to do so during a song. (i'm kidding.)
anyway, my sweetie shot some pics which are up now on her photo blog. and we're looking forward to hearing more from these guys.
posted by stashdauber at 11:37 PM
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