Combining the bands Okkervil River and Titus Andronicus into one fiery, unflinching, and emotionally direct concert experience may seem strange to some, but there are clear similarities in the bands. For one, they both rely heavily on their lyrical subtleties, earning their fans through repeat listens, fans that often look for something beyond the cheap or easy in their music. Both bands, also, explode beyond their album-selves when put on a stage, revealing a more round artist than one might imagine through initial encounters. And, lastly, both bands are very much still rising in their own commercial and, hopefully, artistic careers, which allowed them to still play some small venues (despite playing the much larger Wiltern in Los Angeles) like the Belly-Up Tavern in Solana Beach. Though I don’t hope it was my last time to see both groups in such an intimate setting, something tells me that if I do it will be by the groups’ choice and not by necessity.
But, there was also a third band on the bill, named NewVillager. Now, after seeing the band perform a week earlier in the daytime at a Make Music Pasadena, the trio had not been enough to grab my attention in the sunny afternoon. At night in a small club, NewVillage were much more at home and easier to appreciate. Musically, the guitar and keyboards playfully interacted to create ever-changing vibes of lush beauty and macabre unease. This was added to but some weird-ass mask thing and vocal distortions that, for better or worse, made the audience think twice before casting their judgement. A little research (which. on a side-note, must mean they did better if they actually moved me to look-up who the hell they were) reveals NewVillager to be more than a band; a sort of art collective that performs as gallery pieces. Maybe I am foolish for not knowing this, but if I am late to this party, at least know that I am now intrigued.
The bummer part of seeing Titus Andronicus in a support show is that they only get a chance to play half-a-dozen songs. Though, half of those hover near the ten-minute mark in length, it still feels like the outline of this otherwise remarkable band. The songs selected, all from The Monitor, were able to convey the New Jersey band’s immediacy (opener “A More Perfect Union”), their ability to use long-form song to dig deep into the audience’s psyche (“The Battle Of Hampton Roads”), and their gift to lull the crowd in for a knock-out blow (the set’s climactic “Four Score And Seven”). And, even as I write this now, I know that Titus Andronicus have been on tour for more than a year, and plenty has been written about what a wonderful band they are, both on record and in concert. So, at this point, all that can be noted is how they still seem passionate and convincing when playing this same set, and how it is about time for them to pack up and head back into the studio. Or, at least do a tour as a headliner.
And for those who wondered why Okkervil River were headlining over Titus Andronicus, the answer was clear when Okkervil River started playing; shedding their mellow tendencies and emphasizing their ability to blast-off in feverish bliss. Yeah, though you may not expect it unless you’ve seen them before, Okkervil River’s frontman Will Sheff really loves performing.
He also shows a great deal of respect for the band’s lengthy catalog of music, drawing right back to their earliest work with “Westfall,” which the crowd loudly accompanied. And though every Okkervil River set is filled with some certainties (“Lost Coastlines,” “For Real,” “Unless It’s Kicks”), the evening’s strongest moments came from deeper cuts, namely a slowed down and woozy rendition of “No Key, No Plan,” performed by just Sheff and bassist Patrick Pestorius, a last-minute set addition of “Black” in the encore that burned with the intensity of the lyrics, and, my favorite, a heartbreaking “So Come Back, I Am Waiting.”
Of course, the set leaned on the new material from Okkervil River’s just released I Am Very Far. And though it has been documented that I am not a huge fan of the record, the music held together better in a live setting, as it had the benefit of even production value and uniform sound quality. “The Valley,” which saw the band running around the stage to fill-in all the instrumentation, and even getting help from Titus Andronicus’ Amy Klein, took its place as the clear winner among the new songs, with “Piratess” and “Rider” also finding success. But, nothing on the new record can match the peaks that Okkervil River’s live shows lean on, leading up to the “show me your hands” moment at the end of the set, where anyone in the audience would be embarrassed to not lose themselves in music and bliss for a short moment. Okkervil River are one of the few bands who can allow for this kind of musical communion, and, well, that is pretty neat.
