Photo taken by eric lippe |
Paleface & Monkeybone @ The Sidewalk Labor Of Love August 7, 2002 "Thanks for coming, leave it this way." -Paleface Dirty broken beat "bottles on the sidewalk", Paleface bouncing up and down (his body visualizing the lyrics, (perhaps avoiding some venomous muse viper). Pointless to take a picture with no flash. There is so much energy exuding from the stage; it'd be like trying to focus on an atom. There is a freshness about Paleface and he appears to be truly comfortable and at home, on stage, behind a guitar, behind a microphone, bright lights obscuring the view of the faces before him, that he is candidly having a volley of banter with, on occasion. This is vastly different than the quiet, intensely reserved, person I've seen at several shows, and a few open mikes (Lach's Antihoot's at Sidewalk). Happily depressed. That was my first impression of him, and it's secured by the band's musical flow that moves so fluidly with Paleface's matter of fact, this-is-life lyrics. "Good times, they come and go And bad times come and go too." In my mind's eye, I am leaving a lover's apartment, driving on a highway early in the morning, ennui can be beautiful. You don't have to leave, but you mustturning up the volume, that's just the way things are, "Turn it up, Way up loudcrank it up again." until another time. Doubling up on drummers now, providing the much loved (by me at least) train effect with the cyclic bass line. The way Paleface is clapping his knees together he could easily play a one man band straight outta Mary Poppins, but this is not just him, it's the whole, the band, they all could be in the "chimney -sweep -dancing -on the- roofs -of -London -scene". This dance being a more disjointed 'Der Stil von Manhattanite', Taro's keyboards mimicking accordion gypsies, a loose bass line drunkenly weaves a structure that James Broughel can pull off with a blasé air which intoxicates in and of itself. Parker Kindred (whose also played with the talented and sadly moved on , Jeff Buckley) drumming in all ease, cigarette dangerously glued to his lower lip. The music allows one to lounge easily, syrupy syncopation pours sarcastically over tapping hands and heads. "I like to play guitar" "I've got to play, this here guitar."-Monkeybone backing "Hang out with my friends because they all play guitars" If sarcasm was honey, Paleface and Monkeybone would be covered in flies. Having fun, making fun of everyone in the room, and everyone (one hopes) is able to get the joke, which is the self. "I just want to be a musician." Thus you are, the contented melancholia, emotes from every instrument onstage. Bass line leading you into a wherever we are valley lined in lemon drop trees. You aren't tripping, this is your life. You don't need to inebriate yourself if you can write music like this. It becomes it's own drug. "My advice to you is as good as any other's." Sound and sage. Throwing out his hands in apology during a song, and his disgust on his face makes one wonder if that was stage persona or not. Stage persona is the wrong term, it implies that that there is a fallacy afoot, which this is not. Dedicating a beautifully poignant piece to Dina Dean (who, I might add, is an incredible singer/songwriter and should be in the back of your minds to watch the emergence of), singing of speaking one's mind in the face of having one's thoughts judged. "Checking out the things that you never gave a second thought to." "Give up the combination to all that shit you locked inside" "I probably felt it too." Makes me smile outwardly, makes me want to kick and scream and not hurt anyone. New song applause. "People say that things never ever gonna change, I've been asleep, but I'm glad I woke up the sun is shining and I think I'm gonna be okay." Please, if you are doubting the worthiness of life, find this song and play it over and over again and again until you feel better, it promises to work better than antidepressants. "Testing , testing ,1,2,3 Right now it's happening just like this." "Betcha wanted to get what you wanted you wanted it so bad." Joe Driscoll joins the group adding an urbane human beat box to the mix that wraps the show up with a shebang "I bought my favorite record in a record store... It made me want to burn and rob Burn and rob Kill everybody and quit my stupid job Oh dear god help me!" Time to buy another favorite record. Copyright Labor Of Love 2002 |
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Paleface reviews |
Paleface & Monkeybone @ The Sidewalk Labor Of Love August 7, 2002 "Thanks for coming, leave it this way." -Paleface Dirty broken beat "bottles on the sidewalk", Paleface bouncing up and down (his body visualizing the lyrics, (perhaps avoiding some venomous muse viper). Pointless to take a picture with no flash. There is so much energy exuding from the stage; it'd be like trying to focus on an atom. There is a freshness about Paleface and he appears to be truly comfortable and at home, on stage, behind a guitar, behind a microphone, bright lights obscuring the view of the faces before him, that he is candidly having a volley of banter with, on occasion. This is vastly different than the quiet, intensely reserved, person I've seen at several shows, and a few open mikes (Lach's Antihoot's at Sidewalk). Happily depressed. That was my first impression of him, and it's secured by the band's musical flow that moves so fluidly with Paleface's matter of fact, this-is-life lyrics. "Good times, they come and go And bad times come and go too." In my mind's eye, I am leaving a lover's apartment, driving on a highway early in the morning, ennui can be beautiful. You don't have to leave, but you mustturning up the volume, that's just the way things are, "Turn it up, Way up loudcrank it up again." until another time. Doubling up on drummers now, providing the much loved (by me at least) train effect with the cyclic bass line. The way Paleface is clapping his knees together he could easily play a one man band straight outta Mary Poppins, but this is not just him, it's the whole, the band, they all could be in the "chimney -sweep -dancing -on the- roofs -of -London -scene". This dance being a more disjointed 'Der Stil von Manhattanite', Taro's keyboards mimicking accordion gypsies, a loose bass line drunkenly weaves a structure that James Broughel can pull off with a blasé air which intoxicates in and of itself. Parker Kindred (whose also played with the talented and sadly moved on , Jeff Buckley) drumming in all ease, cigarette dangerously glued to his lower lip. The music allows one to lounge easily, syrupy syncopation pours sarcastically over tapping hands and heads. "I like to play guitar" "I've got to play, this here guitar."-Monkeybone backing "Hang out with my friends because they all play guitars" If sarcasm was honey, Paleface and Monkeybone would be covered in flies. Having fun, making fun of everyone in the room, and everyone (one hopes) is able to get the joke, which is the self. "I just want to be a musician." Thus you are, the contented melancholia, emotes from every instrument onstage. Bass line leading you into a wherever we are valley lined in lemon drop trees. You aren't tripping, this is your life. You don't need to inebriate yourself if you can write music like this. It becomes it's own drug. "My advice to you is as good as any other's." Sound and sage. Throwing out his hands in apology during a song, and his disgust on his face makes one wonder if that was stage persona or not. Stage persona is the wrong term, it implies that that there is a fallacy afoot, which this is not. Dedicating a beautifully poignant piece to Dina Dean (who, I might add, is an incredible singer/songwriter and should be in the back of your minds to watch the emergence of), singing of speaking one's mind in the face of having one's thoughts judged. "Checking out the things that you never gave a second thought to." "Give up the combination to all that shit you locked inside" "I probably felt it too." Makes me smile outwardly, makes me want to kick and scream and not hurt anyone. New song applause. "People say that things never ever gonna change, I've been asleep, but I'm glad I woke up the sun is shining and I think I'm gonna be okay." Please, if you are doubting the worthiness of life, find this song and play it over and over again and again until you feel better, it promises to work better than antidepressants. "Testing , testing ,1,2,3 Right now it's happening just like this." "Betcha wanted to get what you wanted you wanted it so bad." Joe Driscoll joins the group adding an urbane human beat box to the mix that wraps the show up with a shebang "I bought my favorite record in a record store... It made me want to burn and rob Burn and rob Kill everybody and quit my stupid job Oh dear god help me!" Time to buy another favorite record. Copyright Labor Of Love 2002 |
Photo taken by eric lippe |
