04/07/08 Bon Iver with The Palisades at Mojo's

Tonight had it's highs and it's lows. Here are the two lows:
1) The Jayhawks won the national championship, WTF!!! I have a feeling that there will be some Memphis guys shooting free throws until next season
2) I did not get to record the Bon Iver set for the night, which is a shame because it was a great, albeit short, set of music.

Alright, now on to the highs. I just wanted to get the standard blog bitching out of the way. The night started out with a set by the Palisades. The members of this band used to be in a called Caulfield and the Magic, an Alt-Country band I discovered last year. However, Caulfield broke up and Casey Reeves went one way and these guys went another. While Caulfield was more of an alt-country band, these guys are more of an alternative-pop-synthesizer type band with a folk feel, and I have to say that I think the style of music better suits the lead singers voice. The band consisted of a drummer, bass/keyboard, guitar/lead singer, and guitar/keyboard. They played a solid set of music, and the songs have a complexity that wasn't there the last time I saw these guys play. They are starting to come into their own as a band, and it is obvious that these guys like each other and are having a good time. I will have to listen to the recording and will post a set list when time permits. Fun fact from the night for the Palisades was that you could get a self burned CD from the lead singer if came up and asked. He only burned 10, so by the time I was able to ask at the end of the night he was all out. I guess I will have to make due with the MP3s on Myspace.
Bon Iver (pronounce like it's french Bon eevair), waited to set up their stage until after the end of regulation time for the NCAA championship game. Then, after a quick sound check they didn't get back on stage until after the end of the OT. It was interesting to watch an entire bar of Mizzou fans react to the fact that KU actually tied the game in the last seconds and then went on to win in OT. Fortunately it did not damper the crowds enthusiasm for the show. Bon Iver hails from northern Wisconsin and is a vehicle for Justin Vernon's music. For those who don't know the story, Justin moved into a cabin for the winter and ended up writing an unplanned and beautiful album. For this tour the band consisted of Justin on guitar and lead vocals, another guitar player, and drummer. Both the other guitar player and the drummer provided harmony vocals, and damn they sounded good together. Justin's vocals are high, similar to say Cold Play (but only in vocal style, these guys are NOTHING like Cold Play), and the interplay in the supporting vocals was actually interesting to watch. They play very stripped down songs, and at times they more construct the song on stage rather than just play music. There were two time during the set that they actually deconstructed the songs letting them degenerate into walls of asynchronous sound. They also utilized interesting samples and loops to build and and texture to the music at times through out the night. The show had many quiet and introspective moments, but it wasn't a quiet night of music. They played a short set of music, perhaps an hour, but it was a solid set, and they were very appreciative of the crowd that had gathered on a Monday night to see them play. If you have the chance to see these guys I would highly recommend the show.