Keren Ann and Calexico

Last week I met up with Jean and some friends at City Winery, a new restaurant and music venue on Varick Street. I had read about their opening a month or two ago and immediately wanted to see it for myself. I bought tickets to see Wendy Sutter and Phillip Glass for mid-March, and then was convinced by Karen to buy tickets to Keren Ann and Calexico.

I was late. I had walked south down sixth to the end of Varick until I realized that the restaurant was a block from my house. I high-tailed it back uptown. Dan, Karen's friend, called me to say that they already were seated. Jean had arrived first and was also seated at the restaurant. I apologized profusely and told them I'd be there soon.

The space was surprisingly large. We were seated near the stage and had clear views of the performers. Karen had told me earlier she had a fever and was unable to come; Dan brought one of his friends in her stead. We caught up with each other and ordered some snacks. Dan and his friend were already well into their first glass of wine. The waitstaff bustled around the restaurant, and yet it still seemed as though there weren't enough of them.

Before the concert began the emcee announced an REM tribute concert scheduled the following evening at Carnegie Hall. He told us that they had spent the day in rehersals for the event and that special guests would be joining Calexico throughout the evening. He then introduced Keren Ann, who took the stage with her guitar and a trumpet player.

She played a short set of songs, the majority of which were in English, and half of which seemed new. The trumpet player added tonal color to the songs, at times making use of a wah wah pedal to augment his sound. Her set was loose, and she seemed to go along with the casual vibe of the evening.

Our food arrived and I nibbled at a delicious wild mushroom and goat cheese flatbread. Dan offered some of his brussel sprouts for a slice and I gladly made the trade. His friend dove into a plate of short ribs as Dan sampled his tuna loin. Jean had ordered a cheese plate and graciously shared her food with the rest of us.

After a short break, two members of Calexico took the stage. They played a song with professional command of their craft and then introduced an accordionist. For the next song they introduced a multinstrumentalist who began on the violin, then switched throughout the night between lap steel guitar and mandolin. For their fourth song they introduced a bassist and then their lineup was complete. The music was well polished; if anything it was almost too much so.

After a few songs, they introduced a series of R.E.M. covers. They were to be the house band at a tribute to R.E.M. the following night, and had spent the day rehearsing the songs they would play. This evening, they were giving us a preview. Their first special guest was to be Darius Rucker, from Hootie and the Blowfish. Our table was amazed; Dan's friend seemed incredulous.

They ran through a pitch perfect rendition of "I Believe," and I was surprised by how closely Calexico sounded to R.E.M. The song was enjoyable, but I felt a little disappointed; I hadn't come to hear R.E.M.

The rest of the night followed the same pattern as they introduced Rachel Yamagata, Marshall Crenshaw, and brought back Keren Ann to play various cover songs. After a while, Calexico remained on stage for a few of their songs before introducing a final guest I didn't recognize for a reading of "Driver 8." Our checks came, and the evening was over. We said our goodbyes on the sidewalk. I walked Jean to the subway and then I walked home.
Posted by eku at March 15, 2009 11:12 PM