09/17/2008 The Avett Brothers, Backyard Tire Fire, & Ha Ha Tonka

This was an interesting night of music and a great way to close the 9th Street Summerfest for the season. This monthly outdoor concert put on by the Blue Note has been a favorite of mine for the last few years. This year they closed the season off with The Avett Brothers, Backyard Tire Fire, and Ha Ha Tonka. For me this was a night of all new music. I have been wanting to catch Backyard Tire Fire and Ha Ha Tonka for a while, since they play Columbia rather often, but have not been able to make a show until now. The Avett Brothers played Columbia back in June, but I decided to see the Gourds that week instead, so I was glad that the people at the Note decided to bring them back to town just a few months later.

The show started with Ha Ha Tonka, and I was rather surprised at how much I liked these guys. They play a nice blend Midwestern alternative, country, and pop. The show was well paced and the music interesting from beginning to end. The show featured three covers Black Betty, Hangman (acapella version of Led Zeppelin's Gallows Pole), and a classic Big Smith tune 12 Inch 3 speed oscillating fan. During the Big Smith song they included a section of the Avett Brothers song Weight of Lies. All and all it was a great version of the song. My recording of their set was weak on the lyrics for the first two and a half songs of the set, but after I switched a couple of inputs it fills in very nicely. I have some holes in my set list, but here is what I have for the Ha Ha Tonka set:
1) ?
2) St. Nick On The Fourth In A Fervor
3) Gusto
4) ?
5) Falling In
6) Hangman (Traditional)
7) Black Betty (Traditional)
8) ?
9) 12 Inch 3 Speed Oscillating Fan (Big Smith)
10) Caney Mountain

After Ha Ha Tonka Backyard Tire Fire hit the stage and ripped into a set of classic bar rock. They are really good at what they do, and moved through the set like seasoned professionals. Overall they weren't to my tastes, but they played one original that I loved. I think the title is Jimmy and Bobby and Jack. It reminded me very much of Robert Earl Keen's The Road Goes On Forever. They also played a cover in the set, Warren Zevon's Lawyers, Guns, and Money. Thanks to the adjustments I made for the Ha Ha Tonka set, I got a pretty good recording of the Backyard Tire Fire set. Here is the set list for the show:
1) Downtime
2) 1000 Gigs Ago
3) Welcome To The Factory
4) The Places We Lived
5) One Wrong Turn
6) The White On My Walls
7) Time With You
8) Jimmy and Bobby and Jack
9) Food For Thought
10) Skin and Bones
11) Lawyers, Guns, and Money (Warren Zevon)
12) How In The Hell Did You Get Back Here

The Avett Brothers ended the night with their brand of sparse acoustic Appalachian pop. They hit the stage with a banjo, acoustic guitar, upright bass, and cello. The banjo player (Scott Avett) also played kick drum during many songs and moved back to a drum kit for a few. The acoustic guitar player (Seth Avett) played a cymbal from time to time and also moved to the keyboards for a few songs. The cellist was an interesting addtion to the set, and the interplay between the two bass instruments was nice on the ears. There were times during the set that the bass was a bit high (mostly from the kick drum) or that the vocals were less than I would have liked, but it was a fun show that flowed well. It was interesting watching the Seth do his running shoulder rolling dance move during the build up and intense parts of many of the songs. I will say there were three downers of the night. The first two are recording related, first, I didn't get to plug into the SBD for the Avett Brothers, second the crowd was loud and the levels from the PA were a little low, so my AUD recording is rather chatty. Finally, they didn't play Murder In The City. What's up with that! Oh well, they did play a great set of music with three new songs. This was also the first time I have heard a crowd sing for an encore. The crowd continued the La La's from Go To Sleep right through the encore cheering. Here is the set list for the night:
1) Weight Of Lies
2) Pretty Girl From Raleigh
3) Paranoia In B Major
4) Die Die Die
5) Distraction #74
6) All My Mistakes
7) Wanted Man
8) Laundry Room
9) At The Beach
10) Please Pardon Yourself
11) Backwards With Time
12) Kick Drum Heart
13) Talk On Indolence
14) St. Josephs
15) Salina
16) Tin Man
17) Go To Sleep
18) Will You Return