Last Thursday the Hot Half Life showrunner ventured down to Reggie's Rock Club on a trip of both business and pleasure to see Brian Bonz open for Plushgun and Nightmare of You. I was strictly there for the Bonz factor, having secured an interview with him the month before when I'd taken a liking to him during my two state Kevin Devine extravaganza but never one to turn down an opportunity to rock out, I wasn't about to let the fact that while I'd heard of but never actually heard Plushgun or Nightmare of You deter me from staying for the duration of the evening and enjoying it objectively.
First up, obviously, was Brian Bonz and this time around, he was bringing his dreamy indie pop to a much smaller Chicago crowd without the aid of his band. Seeing Brian showcase his songs without the Dot Hongs behind him was amazing as it showcased how gorgeous the vocals are and, without the well thought out and executed arrangement of the full band, let the lyrics and melody really shine through. Every song, which I had previously heard either on record or live backed by his band, sounded just as good if not better with just Brian and his acoustic guitar. The usual standout song, as always, was Judy and the Alpa Queen, an absolutely beautiful song that's just as interesting in tune as it is in lyrics and I must admit I was interested, if not slightly apprehensive, to see it live for the first time without the addition of Kevin Devine on harmonizing vocals. Hearing it stripped down made me long for either an acoustic Brian Bonz ep or, at the very least, a Brian Bonz Daytrotter session. As an indie kid, I'm certainly biased because I do tend to like things stripped down and solo, acoustic and introspective sounding as opposed to fully backed, produced and rehearsed but I think Brian's music does shine either way and his forthcoming release, From Sumi to Japan, is going to be worth everyone's time. It's like the recent Popwreckoning review of Brian's record said, anything to do with Kevin Devine is bound to be at least 1/3's adorable.
The music wasn't the only thing worthwhile when it came to Brian Bonz. As I'd seen at Schuba's a month prior and the Lansing, Michigan gig when Brian opened for Kevin Devine, Brian Bonz's stage banter was hilarious and golden - When speaking of Michael Jackson's death and karma, one of Brian's guitar strings broke, bringing the show to a pause. Karma in action, Brian. Karma in action. I'd like to think we all learned a lesson from that but... I doubt anyone actually did.
Brian closed out his set with a stellar cover of Broken Social Scene's Superconnected and it's my belief that there's never anything wrong with Broken Social Scene and when it's done right, well executed and delivered, as Brian certainly did, it can be absolutely great, once again fueling my desire for a Bonz Daytrotter session, all acoustic, closed out with this very cover.
The music wasn't the only thing worthwhile when it came to Brian Bonz. As I'd seen at Schuba's a month prior and the Lansing, Michigan gig when Brian opened for Kevin Devine, Brian Bonz's stage banter was hilarious and golden - When speaking of Michael Jackson's death and karma, one of Brian's guitar strings broke, bringing the show to a pause. Karma in action, Brian. Karma in action. I'd like to think we all learned a lesson from that but... I doubt anyone actually did.
Brian closed out his set with a stellar cover of Broken Social Scene's Superconnected and it's my belief that there's never anything wrong with Broken Social Scene and when it's done right, well executed and delivered, as Brian certainly did, it can be absolutely great, once again fueling my desire for a Bonz Daytrotter session, all acoustic, closed out with this very cover.
After Brian, New York's electronic based Plushgun played. It was an interesting transition, going from fully acoustic to, well, fully not but the energy of Plushgun and the small crowd's like for them made their set thoroughly enjoyable. I'd gotten the chance to speak with Plushgun's lead singer, Dan, outside before the show, running into him while I was making a quick (potentially awkward for outside listeners) phone call and smoking a cigarette. He told me Plushgun had the penchant of attracting a young fan base - Young as in ten year olds. I figured he was exaggerating but sure enough, when Plushgun played, there was a ten year old girl in the audience wearing a handmade Plushgun shirt. I can legitimately say I have never been to a show where anyone in the audience was younger than sixteen. It was highly surreal.
Plushgun was solid and fun - I took an immediate liking to the Miniature Tigers when I saw them play with Kevin Devine if only for the fact that they were playing catchy, well crafted music that made me dance and let's face the facts, every show featuring three or more bands should have one dance-tastic band on the roster. For that reasoning, Plushgun is awesome. Their songs are charming, smart, well crafted and energetic and now, after becoming familiar with the source material, I would absolutely love to see them play again because, well, shows are always better when you can sing along. Additionally, any band that uses a ukele is okay in my book and if I were to make a mix cd of charming songs for a potential crush, Let Me Kiss You Now (And I'll Fade Away) would most definetly have a featured spot on it because, to be frank, I can't think of a cuter song I've heard in recent months. And I've heard an alarming amount of songs in recent months.
I surmise that next time Plushgun make their way to the great Midwest, a van full of my friends (who I may have successfully converted to liking Plushgun in the past three days after spinning their cd in my car) and I are going to take a Plushgun adventure. It's a shame my social circle is so small or else I might consider renting a stretch Hummer for the occasion. However, as my social circle consists of roughly nine people, we can all easily fit in my roommate's van.
Plushgun was solid and fun - I took an immediate liking to the Miniature Tigers when I saw them play with Kevin Devine if only for the fact that they were playing catchy, well crafted music that made me dance and let's face the facts, every show featuring three or more bands should have one dance-tastic band on the roster. For that reasoning, Plushgun is awesome. Their songs are charming, smart, well crafted and energetic and now, after becoming familiar with the source material, I would absolutely love to see them play again because, well, shows are always better when you can sing along. Additionally, any band that uses a ukele is okay in my book and if I were to make a mix cd of charming songs for a potential crush, Let Me Kiss You Now (And I'll Fade Away) would most definetly have a featured spot on it because, to be frank, I can't think of a cuter song I've heard in recent months. And I've heard an alarming amount of songs in recent months.
I surmise that next time Plushgun make their way to the great Midwest, a van full of my friends (who I may have successfully converted to liking Plushgun in the past three days after spinning their cd in my car) and I are going to take a Plushgun adventure. It's a shame my social circle is so small or else I might consider renting a stretch Hummer for the occasion. However, as my social circle consists of roughly nine people, we can all easily fit in my roommate's van.
Headliners Nightmare of You were not at all what I had expected them to be. Like Plushgun, I had heard of them by name before but never actually heard them and I did have preconceieved notions of what I thought, given what I had heard about them, Nightmare of You might sound like. I didn't think they would be up my alley and while I am generally attracted to the more lo-fi sound, I did genuinely like what I heard of them. Catchy and Beatles inspired, Nightmare of You was dynamic and unexpected, occasionally throwing in a reggae influenced breakdown midsongm, all punctuated by lead singer Brandon Reilly's beautiful voice.
Nightmare of You is certainly another band I wouldn't mind seeing again after becoming more familiar with their albums, particularly next month's Informaniac.
Check any of these artist's myspaces for more info on the rest of the tour because if they happen to stop by your area, which it's just about garaunteed they will as they'e all on what seems like an endless tour at the moment, it would definetly be worth one evening and approzimately ten of your dollar bills to see any of these fellows play, let alone all of them together.
Given any luck, soon I'll be posting an interview with Mister Bonz, but until then, check out these sweet tunes.
Brian Bonz and the Dot Hongs - Judy and the Alpha Queen
Plushgun - Let Me Kiss You Now (And I'll Fade Away)
Nightmare of You - Someday But Not Today
& then thank the wonders of youtube that you too can share in the wonders of Brian Bonz covering Broken Social Scene's Superconnected!
Nightmare of You is certainly another band I wouldn't mind seeing again after becoming more familiar with their albums, particularly next month's Informaniac.
Check any of these artist's myspaces for more info on the rest of the tour because if they happen to stop by your area, which it's just about garaunteed they will as they'e all on what seems like an endless tour at the moment, it would definetly be worth one evening and approzimately ten of your dollar bills to see any of these fellows play, let alone all of them together.
Given any luck, soon I'll be posting an interview with Mister Bonz, but until then, check out these sweet tunes.
Brian Bonz and the Dot Hongs - Judy and the Alpha Queen
Plushgun - Let Me Kiss You Now (And I'll Fade Away)
Nightmare of You - Someday But Not Today
& then thank the wonders of youtube that you too can share in the wonders of Brian Bonz covering Broken Social Scene's Superconnected!
