Rob Crow @ the Rock and Roll Hotel
“What kind of music does Rob Crow play” is a question that stumped us more than once when we told people we were going to his show at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Sunday. Umm… indie rock? That doesn’t really tell you much, does it? How about math-rock? Alt-metal? Prog-rock? All of the above?
Crow’s music is so difficult to classify because he’s something of a whiz-kid, with too many side projects to keep track of. We went to see him because we love him as half of electronicy-pop duo Pinback, but discovered that last night’s audience contained many who were fans of his work with Optiganally Yours, Thingy, Heavy Vegetable, the Ladies, Aspects of Physics, or just plain old, unadulterated Rob Crow. He’s been criticized for lacking focus, and people who love one of his bands feel almost betrayed when he veers off in other directions. In a nod to the rancor he inspires, Crow’s merch table featured stickers and tee-shirts emblazoned with the words, “I HATE YOU ROB CROW,” which is also the name of a song on his latest solo album, Living Well. But given the turnout of 60-plus people on a frigid Sunday night, it’s safe to say that there’s a whole lotta love for Rob Crow.
Crow was joined onstage by a strong backing band composed of members of his various projects, including the talented Heavy Vegetable bassist Travis Nelson and several other bearded instrumentalists. Following two relaxed, slumberous opening acts (more on them later), Crow's was the most hard-fi performance of the night, with jagged guitars and buzzing feedback. Crow’s distinctive singing sounded less like Pinback-Crow (introverted and wispy), and more like the pseudo raps of Anthony Kiedis or the plaintive whine of Billie Joe Armstrong. This may seem like a bad thing, but it’s not. Crow’s full-throttle vocals were the main event of the show.
There were some minor malfunctions with the sound equipment, and Crow's frenetic response revealed the virtuoso's fussy precision. Many musicians would grit their teeth and play right through these sorts of technical gaffes. But more than once, the perfectionist Crow threw his hands up and stopped a song after the first few notes, then lashed out with a string of curses directed at his guitar strings and equipment. At 36 years old, Crow is a lovable man-child. And we’re not just saying that because of his temper-tantrums and slight lisp, but also because he had the pubescent humor to name a band Goblin Cock (those “I heart Goblin Cock” shirts were pretty awesome) and to record a solo record under the name “Snotnose.”
The band played songs from Living Well, plus a medley of unreleased material that Crow had recorded on a cassette tape way back in the era of the cassette tape. There were some definite surf-rock influences in there, tokens of his California upbringing. Some of the songs were more melodic, while others had less direction. But overall, a reliably solid rock performance from a talented group of guys.
The opening acts, Brandon Butler and Glorytellers, present two of emo’s founding-fathers who continue to emote, but with more of a down-home, folksy feel. Butler, who fronted the band Boys Life in the ‘90s, has gotten back to his Missouri roots with a winsome twang that sounds straight out of the Ozarks. Dressed head-to-toe in denim and sipping Jameson whiskey, Butler served up introspective roots-rock that was mighty purty, but not too original.
The more interesting opener was Glorytellers, the new project from Geoff Farina. Farina was frontman of Karate and Secret Stars, whose songs are now covered by the likes of Death Cab for Cutie. An audience member deemed Glorytellers, “a folked-out Karate.” As their name suggests, Glorytellers songs are focused around a narrative. The songs are so lyrically-driven that it sometimes seems like Farina has too many syllables to fit in his mouth, but he pulls it off. The intricate, sleepy songs are held together by Farina’s nervey guitar picking and snare-heavy percussion from Luther Gray III. Farina’s lonely voice and weighty lyrics hint at his emo past, but the group incorporates elements of jazz and blues, creating a low-tempo ambiance that is impressively cohesive. Here’s to the advent of an innovative band of seasoned rockers.
Photo courtesy of Temporary Residence records