es como el pan

I'm no stranger to the more breakneck speeds of rock tourism, but I also enjoy being able to slow down and settle in for a bit. That was the original plan for lingering in Los Angeles a few hours more than normal. I had no idea it would also mean that we'd take in a Jonathan Richman in-store at Rockaway Records, but I was glad to avail myself of the opportunity.

Jonathan Richman, Rockaway Records, June 7, 2008: A common lament among music fans is the challenge of taking friends--who may also be dedicated concertgoers--to a gig that you think they'll like, but when it comes down to it, you have no clue whether they'll be delighted or bored. It may very well turn into a train wreck that's never spoken of ever again if you want to maintain your relationship. We've all been there, right?



The memory of such situations serve to remind me why I'm nuts about the music fans who I happen to call my dear friends. We frequently go to gigs on each other's recommendations, just because we know it'll be good time. Thus, for the second occasion, I found myself accompanying Evonne to at a Jonathan Richman show.

Evonne had provided a rundown of Jonathan's performances at the Mint, the site of his four-show residency that week. I'm acquainted with his gigs, having seen him open for several of my favorite musicians over the years. This in-store performance served as a tidy representation of his current tour promoting his new album. He played old songs, mixed with the new ones, some of which featured his explications and translations. There wasn't too much dancing, but there was plenty of good cheer. And of course, Tommy accompanied him, this time on a pair of bongos.



The situation with his vocal chords has seemed to improve since the last time I saw him, as he spoke quite a bit to the audience, with no audible signs of wear and tear. The fans at this well-attended show, some of whom had no idea he was even due to play until they walked in, responded with huge grins and hearty applause.

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» jonathan, why so heavy on the latin?

jonathan, why so heavy on the latin?

Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn't have gone to this show, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to reciprocate Evonne's endless generosity, see Maudie, and report back to Andrew. Besides, it's been far too long since I've gone to the fabulous Make-Out Room.

Jonathan Richman, The Make-Out Room, October 1, 2006: As visitors to my apartment can tell you, the price of crashing on my couch is enduring my parade of concert posters and, in some cases, setlists. (If you hold the debatable honor of having been born around the same time as me and sharing a history of Anglophilia, you're also required to feign interest in my Star Hits collection, but that's another story.)

And that's exactly what I put Evonne through before I realized how many times I've seen Jonathan Richman live. Of course, there was last month's show, and I'll always remember the string of dates with Wilco in 2001. But I had completely forgotten about the opening slots for Belle & Sebastian (also in 2001). By that count, I guess I've seen Jonathan Richman at least half a dozen times now.

Fortunately, it turned out to be a great time, and it was easily the best Jonathan Richman show I've seen. I think it had something to do with the fact that he was the headliner and not the opener, so my attention was squarely on JoJo and Tommy. But everything was just right: the crowd, the club, the pacing of the show. JoJo himself wasn't as talkative as usual, owing to a callous on his vocal cords, but he was, as ever, engaging and, of course, dancing. He did a mix of old and new songs, and I actually recognized a few (errr, the Something About Mary tunes, anyway). I'll probably never be a JoJo faithful, but this evening, I totally got it.

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» a verse, then a verse, and refrain

a verse, then a verse, and refrain

The ads for these 826 Writing Centers benefits claimed that the shows would address the age-old question of which is better: words or music. OK, maybe it isn't Sophie's Choice, but a lot of us would be hard-pressed to cite one over the other.

Revenge of the Book Eaters, Palace of Fine Arts, August 28, 2006: Maudie, Trish, and I speculated about the format of the evening's proceedings, but not too surprisingly, it rolled out a little like a variety show, only without dancers or ventriloquists. Even Jonathan Richman stopped short of turning on the twinkle toes.

What we did get was the perpetually hilarious Patton Oswalt as the master of ceremonies, opening the show and interspersing short comedy routines between acts. Over the course of the evening, he brought out Dave Eggers and Sarah Vowell for the literary content, as well as Zach Rogue, Mark Kozelek, the aforementioned Jonathan Richman, and Aimee Mann for the musical component.

To be more specific, Dave Eggers introduced a film about the writing centers, whereas Sarah Vowell read an essay about her new favorite explorer, with Patton Oswalt pulling overtime in the role of the beloved pioneer. During the intermission, the two publishing titans offered hugs (Dave) and buddy punches (Sarah) in the lobby for anyone willing to pay the price.

The musical guests were what really drew me in, and they ran hot and cold. I haven't seen Zach Rogue since Rogue Wave opened for Spoon a few years ago. Tonight, he was in good voice, and his indie pop definitely translated to the solo acoustic treatment. He even dared to subject us to a song with admittedly awful lyrics, and overall, he kicked off the proceedings with charm.

I can't say the same for Mark Kozelek, whose music and delivery, we all agreed, were way too soothing for a room of that size. He also confirmed for me that I need never see him in concert again, if the two previous shows I've seen hadn't already convinced me.

Patton was pretty gaga over Jonathan Richman, but to be honest, he's a taste I haven't acquired. To these uninformed ears, he sounded as he always does, and you either love him or you don't.

Patton had introduced Jonathan Richman as a living legend, and he poured on even more love for the headliner, Aimee Mann, whom he called one of the greatest songwriters we have. Considering he and Aimee have longtime professional ties, his words were somewhat expected, but he might as well have been reading my mind; in my highly suspect opinion, no other modern artist epitomizes the words/music balance as well as Aimee.

This is actually the third time I've seen Aimee since April, a pretty high concert count for me. Though I always look forward to her gigs, I'm wary of potential disappointment. I'm happy to say that the Palace of Fine Arts was a much more hospitable environment for her than Stern Grove, but of course, it was no contest compared to Largo. (I know, I know--always with the Largo! Make it stop!)

As the headliner, Aimee got a little more time than the others, so she and Paul Bryan (a fixture from her touring band) hit six songs, almost evenly distributed across her discography. In the hushed room, we didn't miss a syllable of her finely wrought wordplay, and tonight, her voice had more of a growl than I've heard before, especially during "You're With Stupid Now," thus better punctuating her barbed lyrics. Aimee herself said she was honored to do what she could for the writing centers, and among other compliments, she revealed that Dave Eggers was a "world-class whistler." Unfortunately, his wife and Sarah Vowell talked him out of joining Aimee onstage for a whistle solo.

I don't think we reached a definitive answer on the question that kicked off these shows, though I wouldn't say we expected one either. Maybe we'll just have to do this again before we find out.

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» the Book of Brion 2 has landed