Album Review: Duncan Sheik - Legerdemain

Duncan Sheik is best known for his 1996 alt-pop hit Barely Breathing, which made it to 16 on the US Billboard hot 100 songs of the year, and number 2 in the US Billboard adult top 40 chart. Not too shabby for a debut single.
He continued to release a steady string of albums every few years, but none of them had quite the acclaim as his first album (Duncan Sheik).

His success blossomed again in 2006 with the music Spring Awakening for which he wrote the music.

Shiek won the 2007 Tonys for Best Original Score, and Best Orchestrations, and Spring Awakening itself won a whole host of other Tonys (including best musical) and other awards (also a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album).

Sheik's musical composition didn't end there; in 2009 he created an original score and musical called Whisper House, about a young boy who goes to live with his aunt in a lighthouse during WWII, but it turns out the lighthouse is haunted and the ghosts sing the creepy story that ensues.

While Whisper House didn't see much commercial success, but it was widely critically acclaimed, and had a stint being performed in San Diego at the Old Globe theater.

Other musical adaptations and works include: Alice By Heart, Because Of Winn-Dixie, Noir, and American Psycho (which will debut on Broadway in 2016).

Ledgerdemain cover art

Sheik's latest album, Legerdemain, is an album showcasing a multitude of musical ability: lyrically, technically, and stylistically, while also playing with new effects and keeping a fresh sound. With synthetic drum beats and electronica undertones for a handful of songs, and others with ballad like orchestrations, to more simple acoustic songs, Legerdemian packs a full punch with a 16 song track list with a length of 70 minutes.

The first half of Legerdemain has Sheik's famous catchy choruses and provides an introduction to the new subtle electronic additions. Of course, it wouldn't be a Duncan Sheik album if there weren't sweeping ballads accompanied by acoustic guitar, piano, or french horn (or sometimes all three) which can all be found in the second half of the album. The song Distant Lovers is the song that screams "Duncan Sheik" more than any other on the album, and also seems to be the dividing song from the more 'rock' songs to the more mellow and acoustic ballads.

Ledgerdemain marks Sheik's 8th studio album and, like a fine wine, he has grown and developed with age; pulling from his musical theater writing, and exploring new and interesting ways to evolve his sound.

You can hear the full album here through NPR.

Concert: Gang Of Four

Gang Of Four are the legendary post-punk band from the late 70s whose funky bass rifts make them immediately recognizable. Their debut album, Entertainment!, was critically acclaimed and is widely noted in many "Best Rock Albums of All Time" lists.

Lead guitarist Andy Gill is the sole original member left from the band. Bass player Thomas McNeice has been with the band since 2008, while vocalist and drummer John "Gaoler" Sterry and Johnny Finnegan joined in 2012 and 2014 respectively.

From left to right: Thomas McNeice, Johnny Finnegan, Andy Gill, and John "Gaoler" Sterry

 Hearing the songs I knew so well sung by someone different was a little jarring at first - like hearing a cover band. But after the first few songs and the first hit of the night, a;kjdsf;alkdjf, everything seemed to come together.Gang Of Four have the classic three piece instrumentation, and it seemed as though the "new kids" breathed a new life into Gill.

There were three microphones set up on stage, all at approximately the same height. The band took to the stage in classic band formation: drums (obviously) in the back, and guitar and bass on either side of the vocals which were in the middle. It didn't last that way for long however; the energy and performance of the show caused the band members to prowl the stage all night, and barely stay in the same place for more than a few verses. Sterry would grab the nearest microphone he ended up next to between headbanging/dancing/jumping around all over the place, while Gill glowered into the audience, playing with a furious intensity.

The set was full of classic hits, starting with the second song of the night: Not Great Men (short video below). Other hits included Anthrax, Damaged Goods, At Home He's A Tourist, To Hell With Poverty!, and Ether finishing off the 15 song set.

Not Great Men

I'm so glad I got to see them perform, it was a great show! As my dad pointed out, I've now seen The Buzzcocks and Gang Of Four in the same year. Almost like I went back in time to 1979.

Setlist

Concert: The Fratellis

The Fratellis made a triumphant return to the Wonder Ballroom for the second time ever, with new album, Eyes Wide Tongue Tied, in tow. Eyes Wide is the band's fourth studio album to date, and they wrapped up their second headlining American tour in LA on October 8th, with only a slight break until embarking on a massive 28 date tour across Europe with a stop in Japan.

If you didn't know who The Fratellis were (band name taken from the criminal family from The Goonies), you'd still probably know a few of their tunes. Their first album, Costello Music, is home to many hits including the show opener, Henrietta, as well as Baby Fratelli, Chelsea Dagger, and probably the most recognizable from the 2007 iPod commercial: Flathead

Unlike a good number of bands whose singles aren't very representative of the band's full sound, Flathead is a perfect example of the opposite. Every damn tune and album from The Fratellis is equally as catchy, with an equal amount of danceable and lively tunes, and slower, campfire style ballads.

The three piece band consists of Jon Fratelli (Jon Lawler) - lead vocals and guitar, Barry Fratelli (Barry Wallace) - bass guitar and backing vocals, and Mince Fratelli (Gordon McRory) - drums and backing vocals (none of them are actually brothers by the way), and a fourth touring member, Will Foster - keys.

The band played a lengthy setlist consisting of a collection of songs from their full catalog, including a cover of Dion's Runaround Sue to finish out the set. "This is probably the first song of ours many of you heard," Said Jon over the jazzy drum beat Mince was playing before strumming the immediately recognizable guitar riff for Flathead, and rocking the ballroom from top to bottom. Other crowd favorites were across the board, all songs eliciting cheers from the relatively diverse (for Portland anyway...) audience.

The boys often shared glances and smiles throughout the show, as if to say "I can't believe we still get to do this after all this time". They have such a great stage presence and play their music with a passion and joy that is often lacking from live shows. For a band that has been around as long as The Fratellis have, they could have easily become jaded by the touring life and playing the same songs constantly because those are the ones the fans know and not necessarily the ones they want to play themselves, but The Fratellis deliver in a big way; playing each song as if it was the first time performing it in front of an audience, and finding new ways to shake them up.

The new material was very well received and exciting to hear live. Album opener Me And The Devil shook up the crowd with its funky beats and sing-along lyrics of "I'm gonna sell this soul of mine/I'm gonna loose my lonely mind for you". Baby Don't You Lie To Me was the second song of the set, propelling the set into an energetic rock-fest. During the song Dogtown the lighting person did the reverse strobe effect (plunging the ballroom into darkness for split second intervals along with the beat of the music), to which Jon and Barry shared confused smiles, and prompted Jon to say something along the lines of "when you do that with the lights we can't see a thing. I'm sure it looked amazing and funky as hell though" at the end of the song.

Other highlights included Jon accidentally changing up the setlist and explaining how "there's always one major fuck up during the night. I guess this time it was me,", and then proceeding to keep messing up the setlist to which he shook his head and lamented "twice in one night". Witnessing the main roadie giving a drumstick and a guitar pick to these two young children who had come up to the stage with their parents after the show. And seeing all the band members groove to their funky jams in their own way and feeding off their energy as an audience member.

If I had to use one word to describe The Fratellis and their performance, it would be: Genuine. Seeing the pure joy and exhilaration they get from playing live, their continued enthusiasm, and how humble they are ("Without you [the audience], we don't get to play; we're just a bunch of guys in a room, so thank you" said Jon), is really wonderful for an audience member and a fan. They deliver every time at every show, and everyone walked away that night knowing they had witnessed something special.

[Barry Fratelli]

[Left to right: Jon Fratelli and Will Foster]

[Left to right: Jon Fratelli, Will Foster, and Mince Fratelli]

[Jon Fratelli and Will Foster]

[Me with the setlist courtesy of Cortney Armitage]

[Jon Fratelli and myself, courtesy of Cortney Armitage]

Concert: Catfish & The Bottlemen + Jamie N Commons

Catfish & The Bottlemen have had an exciting year: their debut album The Balcony was released in September of 2014, climbed to number 10 in the US charts, and it's been a whirlwind ever since.

The 4 piece Welsh band came from humble beginnings; playing at each other's houses (which also happened to be Bed and Breakfasts), and playing small gigs around town. The band was signed to Communion Records in 2013, and were the tour support for Little Comets, and later on, The Kooks.

Their first American tour was at the beginning of this year, with a second American tour in the fall. In between those tours they've played numerous festivals all over the world, and also toured Europe.

I had seen them play back in February at Mississippi Studios:

It was a great set, and they were kind enough to talk at length with fans after the show. I didn't know at the time how big they were going to become within a few months, although after seeing them live I figured it was bound to happen considering how talented they are. I'm sure their stint on The Late Show with David Letterman helped with gaining listeners and attract a wider audience

[Kathleen on The Late Show with David Letterman]

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Anyway, the line at the Wonder Ballroom was already about 30 people long by the time I arrived at 2pm (doors weren't even until 8). Fans had been camped out since 7:30AM with camping chairs and plenty of activities to keep themselves entertained during the long, occasionally chilly, wait.

The show started at 9 with opening act Jamie N Commons entering the stage solo with a black and white Native American print poncho/cape, and acoustic guitar. The first song was called Lead Me Home and was used in an episode of "The Walking Dead", which aroused much applause from the excited audience. The set also included the single Jungle which was used in the Netflix series "Orange Is The New Black".

Each individual band member played his instrument well, but collectively it felt a little off; not quite as cohesive as it could have been. In two of the songs, band members played large, green, empty metal barrels with "Jamie N Commons" spray painted across the side in white. It felt very forced and seemed like the band was just trying to have something that made them stand out from all the other so-called "indie/alternative/folk-rock" bands that exist. It didn't add much to the songs themselves and seemed like large props to be hauling around. They had a few decent songs, but overall it felt very inauthentic, generic, a little pretentious, and sort of boring. Just not for me I guess. The rest of the crowd seemed to enjoy it.

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At approximately 10:20 Catfish & The Bottlemen took the stage to the screams of delight from the mostly female crowd. Dressed all in black, they exuded an aura of cool without seeming like they were trying. It's easy to see why they have such an appeal: quality music, young enough to be considered "attainable" to many fans, and natural style and good looks. Plus the accents.

They played their set effortlessly (having obviously played it numerous times), but with an intensity and passion that let the audience know they really love what they do and haven't gotten bored with playing the same songs over and over for longer than a year without much new material added to their standard set.

Lead singer Ryan "Van" McCann did most of the talking throughout the night; thanking the crowd numerous times with a sincerity that was apparent.

Instead of a traditional encore, the entire band, save for Van, went off stage while he played the solo, acoustic song Hourglass which depicts the struggles of being in a relationship while constantly being away from one another. At times, Van would keep strumming and stand back from the microphone to hear the audience singing the lyrics at him in a dull roar that almost overwhelmed the vocals at times when he was singing.

They wrapped up their set with Tyrants, which is also the closing track off of The Balcony. The crowd was disappointed to see them go, and cheered until the lights came on, signifying that their hope for a second encore was dashed and it was time to leave.

All in all, the show was fantastic, and the boys really know how to give their audiences a good time. Although the set was short (only about an hour), every second was excellent, and what they lacked in set length, they more than made up for with a palpable joy for what they were doing, and genuine excitement to share their music with such a loyal and loving audience.

 [Left to right: Guitarist Johnny "Bondi" Bond,  Singer and Guitarist Ryan "Van" McCann, and Drummer Robert "Bob" Hall]

[Bassest Benjamin "Benji" Blakeway]