April 15, 2008
The Mysteries of Neko
Yesterday, when putting together our daily "About Tonight" feature, I scanned several recent concert reviews, looking for signs about whether or not enigmatic singer Neko Case would be performing with the New Pornographers at the 9:30 Club. It was a question anyone with tickets to last night's show (or tonight's), including myself, was asking, because Case, often busy with her solo career, has been known to skip out on New Pornographers tours before. Dan Bejar, off touring with his own band, Destroyer, was already confirmed not to be on this tour, but Case was supposed to be making the journey this time around.
I found a review of a concert held last week in Ottawa that suggested Case's presence was in question, but I didn't read it carefully enough, and said in Monday's About Tonight that I was under the impression she was not playing with the band in D.C. In reality, Case missed one date in Ottawa, but rejoined the tour the following night in Toronto, and was in fact with the band this week as well. A call to the 9:30 Club then confirmed that Case was in D.C. and scheduled to perform last night. So I posted a correction, and then a subsequent secondary apology in the Weekly Music Agenda. Based on the emails I received from incensed New Pornographers fans, I really felt terrible for getting you all so worried about the Case or no Case question. I also really hate posting incorrect information, and wanted to make sure we had it right.
But as those of us who were there last night quickly learned, turns out I was right the first time, though for the wrong reasons. Neko Case was in the District last night, but Carl Newman told the packed house she was sick, and so did not perform with the New Pornographers after all. If she's feeling better today, those of you with tickets for tonight's show may still get a chance to see her. Or you might not. Such is the way of all things Neko. When you've got a voice that powerful and expressive, I guess you get to show up when it suits you. Fair enough. Though some of us joked that we might like to have half of the cost of our $27 tickets back, seeing as how we only saw half of the New Pornographers perform.
DCist Graham has some more thoughts on the show itself after the jump. As for me, I will now be retiring from any and all further comment on Neko Case or the New Pornographers. I can't take this kind of stress.
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Did anyone who hadn't seen Okkervil River before know lead singer Will Sheff would emote so much? With his hair swept across his eyeline, Sheff -- dressed in a skinny tie and blazer -- led his band through a varied but ultimately unremarkable set last night at the 9:30. Armed with a full band and a catalog of rousing, shambling songs, it was surprisingly the slower, quieter stuff that worked best. "A Stone" (from 2005's Black Sheep Boy) was the most affecting, just Sheff and his guitar, punctuated at the end by a pretty trumpet outro. "Unless It Kicks" rocked enough to get the crowd clapping along, and even featured some Springsteen-quoting "Whoa-oh-ohs" for good measure. But for whatever reason -- really low volume, bland arrangements, or Sheff's narrow vocal range -- the set failed to touch the impressive heights of their 2007 release, The Stage Names.
You could perhaps say much of the same for the New Pornographers. They suffered from that same low volume that failed to accentuate the dense, layered arrangements of the band's records. Again, even without Case's voice to carry the group, some of the quieter, slower songs worked best. The intricate "Challengers" found Kathryn Calder filling in on vocals for Case (how would you like that job?) admirably to harmonize with Newman, while "Adventures in Solitude" was hushed enough to allow the chiming synths and melodic accordion parts to gain some separation from the rest of the mix. But you don't shell out hard-earned cash to see the Pornographers play acoustic ditties, you come for power pop gold, and, with a treasure trove like theirs, they were bound to unearth a few nuggets. Of those, I'll take "Testament to Youth in Verse" any day of the week, with its ringing, down-stroked chords and a wistful chorus ("Maybe it's not alright") lifted straight from the power pop handbook. - Graham Hough-Cornwell
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i saw the new pornographers when they played with belle and sebastian 2 years ago at the 903. it was HOOORIBLE. not only was nekko not there, her replacement had bronchitis or something, and couldn't sing. it was such a disappointment.
i saw the new pornographers again this past fall at the 930. nekko was there. it was 3983939839839 times better. im sorry, but if you're going tonight and she's not there...well...you should sell your tickets if you get word in advance. seriously.
yeah, it was pretty bland without neko last night. the sound was also pretty muddled. thank god i knew all the lyrics, otherwise i would have had a hard time figuring them out.
I agree with hungeegirl, unless you've got money to spare (never a terrible thing to simply see another show). Neko is the bee's knees, and I've seen her solo a couple times here, and the NP's with and without her, and she definitely takes them up a few big notches.
Also, on a related NP band member comment...it's always better when Dan Bejar is there as well. While he's not nearly as critical as Neko is, he's still hysterical. It's funny as hell seeing him walk on and off stage depending on if they're playing one of "his" songs or not.
this is almost unnerving, wondering if she will be there or not tonight. i have seen her solo once (at 930) and have seen the band both with (at coachella) and without (at virgin fest) her. having her there will definitely make the show much better, but it still won't be terrible without...
the anticipation is killing me!
I guess you get to show up when it suits you.
Wow. Catty, much?
Though some of us joked that we might like to have half of the cost of our $27 tickets back, seeing as how we only saw half of the New Pornographers perform.
Sheesh. So Neko is half of a seven-or-eight person band? That's a neat trick.
too be fair fedward, Dan + Neko = half of TNP. Yes, they are only two, but they're worth at least four.
I've heard that she was a Nazi in her younger days. Is this true?
See, I don't buy that math either. Dan contributes three (great) songs per album, but it's not like he stands on stage the whole time. He comes on for "his" songs and he leaves again. So he was really only missing for a few songs last night (and as that goes, Carl's gotten pretty good at "Jackie, Dressed in Cobras" so it was really just "Execution Day" and "Testament To Youth in Verse" where he's missed). I think saying any one person carries more weight in the NPs misses the point of the band, especially since the band themselves like to point out that it's all a very collaborative effort.
I'm not going to say I didn't miss Neko, but I don't have to hear "Letter from an Occupant" at every show, nor do I think she's half (or a quarter) of the band. Feh.
I get the impression that Neko is pretty difficult. I saw her do a solo show at the Black Cat a few years ago and it was awful. She was so damn fussy about her guitar sound that she stopped and started the first song about four times. Thirty minutes later, after watching her get through about one and half songs I finally gave up in frustration and left.
Here's an NPR stream of the NP's 9:30 show from last October, with both Neko and Bejar in attendance. Reading the accounts here, I'm glad I was at that one instead of last night's.
Do they still show the vintage 60's-70's porno flicks on the screen behind them while they're playing?
I've seen Neko solo twice and she seemed like a delight. She sounded amazing both times.
However, I have a mild obsession..so i might be biased.
She was there last night for the 4/15 show.
Does anyone think she'll show up in Richmond tonight? I really don't care to make the trip if it's like Monday night was here.
Can someone explain to me why people go to see a band when it's questionable if the most important members are going to show up on any given night?
AC Newman announced that Neko broke her foot the previous night. She sat on a stool for half of the 4/15 concert, but otherwise was her usual self.
Huh. While it's obvious "synthesizer girl" didn't have the powerful voice of Neko, I thought she was all right, a suitable enough replacement.
I enjoyed the show a great deal, but several things besides the absent chartreuse seemed to be at issue. First and foremost, the bass was a muddy mess—anytime the bass player (forgive me for not knowing his name) hit his bottom string, only thuds emerged. The kick drum had no definition, so every hit was a loud, resonating boom instead of the sharpness that works well, especially with primarily uptempo bands like the New Pornographers. This mud puddle (puddle of mudd?) was pretty much the loudest tone coming from the speakers, mincing the guitars and keyboards. I was especially disheartened that some of the awesome guitar leads played by the tall dude with long hair were buried (they're loud and in front on record). "Synthesizer boy's" lines were drowned out as well until the end, when the sound guy seemed to realize there was another keyboard on the stage.
Second, though I may have imagined this because that plodding bass tone was messing with me, I'm pretty sure the drummer was dragging the tempo, especially midway through the set. Songs seemed to start off fast only to slip; when he sang, the beat got shaky, for sure. Might have been an off night.
Third, AC Newman's voice is rather thin. Normally, Neko's raw power can disguise this, but seeing NP in the fall, I noticed the same thing. Hence, why he doubles or triples his voice on record.
And finally, I don't really care for "Challengers"; the tracks I recognized from that album sounded like 80s power ballads. NPs' strength is furious and complicated, like the encore "Jessica Numbers," which made my night.
Gotta agree about Okkervil River—another post a commenter mentioned he didn't see why people compared them to Radiohead or Counting Crows. Can't see the Radiohead, but all I could think during their set was "Round Here." The singer is very reminiscent of Adam Durtiz—except Duritz tended to hit the notes. I admit to wincing a few times at Sheff's labored vocals. But the music, some kind of Americana takeoff with straightforward melodies, combined with a flamboyant singer shot me write back to the mid-90s and August and Everything After (which is a fine album). I respected Counting Crows, but there is something un-hip about them (your dad likes it, I know mine does), so I can see why that comparison could be seen as derogatory. But they seem like a good band; perhaps Mr. Sheff should seek a quaalude before performances (and tune his guitar between songs).
Damn! Here I thought indie rockers all looked like whiny douchebag guys. If I knew they looked like THAT, I'd be at the Black Cat every night.
Wow!
~EEE~