The Lone Sysadmin

Country and folk music is something I’ve developed an increasing taste for over the past few years. There’s just something about acoustic guitars that I fall for, that I can sit and listen to them forever. It’s really not a surprise, then, that I like Brandi Carlile’s music.

What was a surprise was the range of people that showed up to see her and the twins play last night in Madison. Older folks, lots of younger people. It was encouraging. She played a bunch of stuff from her album, but also a number of songs that weren’t on the album. Excellent stuff. I always sit as close as I can to the sound board, as the sound will be good there and watching the guys provides me with entertainment when the artist isn’t cutting it. First thing I noticed was the backstage passes the crew had. It was the album photo of Brandi and the only text was a big “ALL ACCESS.” Heh, they wish.

There were some sound issues, namely the kick drum was way too intense. I’m willing to give sound guys a break as they go from place to place, but dude, turn the drum down. I’m in the back and my beer is vibrating off the table. Overall, though, I wish I had bootleg gear because it was a really good show, with a decent turnout despite the -5 degree weather. One can only wonder what the turnout would be if she was down at the Union during the summer. What an amazing voice and band.

Alas, it’s negative 12 Fahrenheit out right now. My friend Ann wanted to punch Mother Nature on Thursday after we got a foot of snow. I now second that, after needing to jumpstart a friend’s car in the wind chill. It’s actually too cold to snow. Like, WTF.

I was thinking that going out tonight was a bad idea. My original plan was foiled by a packed bar, so we progressed into the wind to Montmartre to drink wine and be merry. When I see a band setting up I am usually wary unless I’ve checked it out ahead of time, but we had half a bottle of wine left so it was inevitable that we’d catch part of the show.

Wow. Bad News Jones is freakin’ fun to watch. They’re like Digable Planets, Arrested Development, and the Beastie Boys all rolled up into a bouncy, rappy, fun set. Their prose is pretty tight, and they looked like they were having fun. A band that is having fun is unbeatable, especially when they’re the openers.

I’m originally from the Minneapolis area, and when Toussaint Morrison of The Blend starts singing about Minneapolis streets and the U of M it’s somehow comforting. You always hear about NYC, Chicago, and California cities, but no attention is ever paid to the Twin Cities. The Blend is an erudite mix of jazz, hip-hop, and rock, with songs about Shakespeare, suicidal friends, hot women, and all sorts of other topics you’d expect from U of M students with a rabid fan following. Heck, they were taking sound board advice from the crowd, which is always a good sign. Vocals up, guitars down, me pleased.

Tomorrow night, Brandi Carlile. This is turning into a musical weekend.