a night of rock

Went to see Iron & Wine with Calexico at Club Quattro in Shibuya. It was quite expensive, but I&W is all I've been listening to this year, so I was eager to go, and besides, it was my birthday.

Arrived at CQ in hectic 'Buya, and went up to the club on the 4th floor of a Parco building. It's kind of weird to go to a show in a department store, passing displays of golf clubs and rock tees, but well. We went in to front, stashed our stuff in the thoughtfully provided bank of lockers, and went into the dark smoky club. The usual mid-sized rock venue. It had been awhile since I had been to a show like that.

I&W started promptly, just Sam on his guitar and his sister Sarah singing backup. Very nice, they played several old songs and a few new ones. Sam Beam is a poet. I mean that in the most complimentary sense. As the new songs came out I was hanging on to each verse, watching the lyrics form.

Calexico came out and I really enjoyed them. I was surprised, because I hadn't cared that much for them on the radio, but they were good solid rock, and impressive in all their instruments and music nerdery - they had a couple of trumpets, an accordian, a stand up bass, the usual guitars and drums, a harmonica, a lap steel guitar, and some kind of xylophone. No wonder the show was spendy - hauling all that shit had to be insane! They are, as their name implies, a mix of American and Mexican-influenced music, with tones of indie, mariachi, Chris Isaak crooning, and the desert. They had some good imagery and the token Chicano guy played some mean horn and sang in Spanish. They also did a shout out to Mano Negra, singing "cuando llegare", which can't hurt things. I&W came on stage to sing with them from their album "In the Reins" that they did collaboratively.

Over all, I really enjoyed it, though I&W was a bit amped up, more "rock" than on their albums. They made up for it the next day, though.