It’s been awhile since I’ve been presented with performances as unique and bizarre as those I saw during this night of worldly tunes. Everything about this show defied my expectations, mostly for the better (save for the weirdly mainstream crowd that constantly yelled stupid things at the bands all night).
One-man band Animal Hospital kicked off with a self-described “economical” set of three fairly long songs. Featuring endless drum and guitar loops with the occasional vocal, Kevin Micka’s music was certainly imaginative and interesting, if not especially remarkable. Still, his style was a good fit for, and a great introduction to, the eccentric stylings of the remaining two bands.
A Hawk and a Handsaw is the work of former Neutral Milk Hotel drummer Jeremy Barnes and violinist Heather Trost. I found myself fascinated in watching the thickly-mustachioed musician, who looked like something out of a sepia-colored photo from the 1800s, set up his most unconventional drum kit around his chair; each cymbal, tambourine and drum piece looked like something out of a kindergarten band class. The kicker was when he strapped a drum stick and some bells to his thigh positioned precisely to hit a cowbell when he tapped his foot, and then put on a hat of bells with another drum stick attached, positioned to hit a cymbal that stood to his left. And with that, Jeremy pulled on his accordion and coordinated a striking display of dexterity as he played the drums and tambourines with his feet, the cowbell with his thigh, the accordion with his hands and the cymbal and bells with his head. I couldn’t help but smile every time he flicked his head to the side and then shook it- I don’t think it ever got old. Meanwhile, with Heather on the violin, the two filled the venue with some very pleasant and traditional-sounding instrumentals. After taking a break from the bombast to sing an intense and haunting cover of an old anti-war song, the band wrapped up their performance with Heather jumping into the audience and Jeremy standing at the edge of the stage looking down on her while they serenaded each other back and forth with their respective instruments. Very cute.
Finally, it was time for the eastern waltzes of Beirut. Even though I knew Beirut was primarily the work of 20-year old, I guess I’d forgotten in my old age what 20 actually looks like; I was a little taken aback by how young singer Zach Condon looks, especially since he has such an “old” voice. Not only that, but the nature of the music had me picturing a very shy, introverted loner, not the boisterous kid who took the stage with his trumpet held high over his head as he belted his songs out over the crowd and swiped mouthfuls of Jack Daniels when he thought no one was looking. Adding to the youthfulness on stage, Zach brought along six friends to participate in his backing band, all looking to be barely out of their teens as well. Aside from a few instances of sloppy between-song banter, however, their youth proved to be an asset to the live show as their exuberance breathed new and exciting life into the more mature and sophisticated old-world sounds. Parading onto the stage from the back of the room playing a variety of brass instruments and drums, the band took their places amongst a deluge of instruments and proceeded to spend the next hour having the time of their lives. Peppering a few (really good) new songs amongst the majority of Gulag Orkestar, Zach alternated between blaring his trumpet and singing while his band mates bounced around between ukuleles, violins, keyboards, clarinets, saxophones, accordions, recorders, and pretty much every other instrument you can think of. As the weeknight 2am bar time approached and the sound guy urged the band to wrap up, the young’ns of Beirut defied orders and leaped into the audience to squeeze out two more utterly triumphant fist-pumpers (if you can pump your fist to an accordion), while the audience enthusiastically cheered and danced around them.
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