Written By: Derek Walker
Date: 1/22/10
Venue: Empty Bottle
Location: Chicago, IL
Check out the photos HERE!
Tim Kinsella is a tough guy to pin down. For the past two years he’s been hard at work forging a legacy under the Joan of Arc moniker, but sporadically, he has branched out and tried his hand at other projects, the latest being the 18-song, 41-member compilation album, “Joan of Arc Presents: Don’t Mind Control.”
The record, passable in quality and certainly worthy of a few listens, lent itself to its own special three-plus hour talent showcase, officially recognized as the Joan of Arc Variety Show. Eleven of the 18 bands that contributed to the album performed Friday night, with sets ranging from one to four songs. Every band was given a 15-minute window with which to perform, with most taking advantage of the full time allotment.
It was only fitting that the night started with Tim Kinsella, who appears twice on the compilation. Alongside drummer and Joan of Arc alum Ryan Rapsys, Kinsella played two songs under the Euphone name: “Friend in Common,” off the record, and one making use of the spoken word. The latter was among the more bizarre sights and sounds of the night. Why? Imagine this: Tim Kinsella is naked, wearing nothing but a grizzly beard and a curly blond wig. He is tripping on mushrooms, trying to record a song, but in the heat of that moment gets tangled up with some obnoxiously loud construction workers who won’t shut the hell up. Let that sink into your brain’s wrinkles for a second. Just a second. Yeah. How’s that for a mental image?
Tim’s spoken word has always been a bit, well, “out there.” Thankfully, hearing the guy shriek “YEAH, YOU COME UP HERE AND SUCK MY DICK, MOTHERFUCKER!” to a make believe group of city workers had its place at this show — because, truth told, this show was pretty out there too.
Fans had their attention diverted to the back of the room near the soundboard after Euphone departed. In a turn for the surreal, Pillars and Tongues played beneath the lime green and blue lighting of the sound area, completely unplugged from any instruments. Attention waned after the first handful of minutes, and even the uproariously funny interpretive dancer stopped dead in the midst of his best “Pants on the Ground” routine, which seemed to loop from the time he had arrived to the middle of Pillars and Tongues’ first song. It wasn’t that the trio was boring, but the dim lighting and virtually nonexistent acoustics turned what could have been a solid couple of songs into a plodding 10 or 15 minutes.
The Zoo Wheel, featuring the wonderful, underrated playing of Liz Payne, took the stage briefly after Pillars and Tongues closed up shop at the opposite end of the room. To an anxious, chatty crowd, the three musicians dominated the early portion of the night with a standout performance. Payne and her backup offer nothing in terms of energy or raw power, but they don’t necessarily need to, because The Zoo Wheel isn’t about blowing the pants off you — they’re about reminding you you’re still wearing pants, and why. That doesn’t make a lot of sense right now, but let it settle for a few minutes, it’ll come.
A 15-minute break was announced around 10:35 p.m. which enabled the next few acts to set up. Between sets, a disc jockey spun 7-inch records, local coffee roasters poured patrons free cups of “Joan of Arc Afternoons Mourning Blend” java at the merch table and fans hopeful of catching a glimpse at the rumored Cap’n Jazz reunion lined the outside doors. After grabbing some coffee, grabbing a drink at the bar, or grabbing a drink at the bar to put into the coffee, the crowd slowly migrated back to the main stage, where the digital glitchiness of Litesalive had taken over. Working straight from his MacBook, one-third of contemporary Joan of Arc’s guitarist trifecta Todd Mattei took a seat behind a dusty card table and got to work. Mattei’s songs are choppy bits of electronic poetry, which he dubs “Survival sci-fi music” on his MySpace page. Not for everyone, there was some notable stirring among audience members — whether that stirring was a nervous apprehension for the Cap’n Jazz rumor to come to life or a general apathy toward the survival sci-fi genre itself is unknown.
The venue became increasingly jammed around 11 p.m., when the next two back-to-back acts started. First was A Tundra, which is made up of Don Francis, current Joan of Arc drummer Theo Katsaounis and The Zoo Wheel’s Liz Payne. Full of energy, the three entertained the evolving crowd until it was Jeremy Boyle’s turn. According to the master of ceremonies — who was dressed like a modern day Monty Hall and had his own hokey theme music to boot — Boyle had flown in from Pittsburgh to play the show. A commendable feat, no doubt, but it was outdone by a number of fans who had traveled from all across the country not to play, but to attend. Some music fans’ dedication know no bounds.
Boyle’s set concluded at 11:15 p.m. and another intermission period followed. Cue the DJs. Cue the coffee roasters. Cue the last gathering of people hopeful at getting a peek of Cap’n Jazz. After 15 minutes of schmoozing over the beans and dumping as much free “Don’t Mind Control” merchandise into one’s handbag as humanly possible, round three began. Next up: Disappears, featuring Matt Clark.
(Oh, and I know you’re reading this, Polyvinyl. That free button, sticker and Tetsuo 7-inch you were handing out Friday night? Good stuff. And, yes, I feel your awesome Chambana record label deserves its own paragraph because of the free shit you gave me, and many others. No, no, don’t argue it; you deserved to be thanked.)
There was a certain uniqueness to Disappears, the band’s sound echoing something of a former generation. The jumpy guitars, the washed out vocals, the stage presence, all of it was overwhelming and the perfect lead-in to “Local Cover Band” (nee: Cap’n Jazz), which came on a little after midnight.
It was go time for Tim Kinsella and his former bandmates, ready or not. The visual of the “sold out” sign taped to the Bottle’s glass door must’ve put a quiver in his belly. He’s played the Empty Bottle numerous times, and done Chicago as much, if not more than a local musician trying to earn a quick buck, but rarely do his shows sell out.
The prospect of a Cap’n Jazz reunion has been talked about for years. Those talks heated up early last month, but nothing was “official” until the five members showed up on stage together. Nay, it wasn’t official until they showed up on stage together, picked up their respective instruments and actually played a full song. Or, say, four. Those in attendance, as well as the names peppering the guest list, put a lot of faith in the rumors to snag the pre-sale tickets hours before doors opened. And they put a lot of faith in Kinsella, who organized and supervised the entire spectacle. The obvious question: Could he handle it?
Pacing back and forth, Tim appeared worried. Normally one to handle pre-show jitters head-on, it was rather worrisome to see the guy flustered and flighty. But the other band members shared that feeling. Before the four-song set, guitarist Victor Villarreal confirmed appearances. Was he worried, maybe a little scared? You betcha. Sipping the tea out of his travel thermos, Villarreal expressed doubts that the people in the room would even know who he and his bandmates were. He then said the most nervous one was probably Tim, who, standing five feet away, kept pacing and scanning the room for the next acts.
But he was the next act. With Mike, his brother, Sam Zurick, Davey von Bohlen and Villarreal, Tim slow-crawled to the stage and set up what little gear he needed to, while his old pals did the same. No one expected it beforehand and no one expected it while it was happening, but it happened. Cap’n Jazz, playing under the meta pseudonym Local Cover Band, was back. Keeping pace for the rest of the night, the group adhered to the 15-minute time limit, not before pumping out four of its most beloved tracks. The building almost crumbled under the weight of nostalgic tremor upon the first few licks of opening song, “Little League.” From there, the band played “Oh Messy Life,” “We Are Scientists” and “Que Suerte!” to a floor full of pleased ears and cell phone camera-toting kids who were a mere 3 or 4 when the band formed (I was 2).
Is it apropos for Cap’n Jazz to come back for its 15 minutes of fame by literally coming back for only 15 minutes? Yes and no. “Yes,” because everyone in the band looked like they were having fun playing the old parts for a brand new age of consumer, and “no” because the now-reunited five-piece might be planning on sticking around a little longer than originally planned. Davey von Bohlen stuck around until the show ended, and chatted with fans about the possibility of more shows somewhere down the line. He said that door is now open, as everyone had a good time and enjoyed themselves — but that juicy tidbit of geek-worthy intel comes with a catch, and that is as follows: “[A reunion tour] would have to be this year.” So, full-scale Cap’n Jazz reunion to close out the summer, after Pitchfork and Lollapalooza? Sounds good to me.
Cap’n Jazz leaving for the night meant a good deal of people leaving for the night, as well. That’s a shame considering how many good bands were left, like Josh Abrams, Birthmark (Nate Kinsella), Vacations and Slick Conditions. Notably, it is surprising how in control Nate Kinsella was of his three-song set. Rarely a live performer with his solo gig, one of the last times he did a show for Birthmark was at Schubas in September 2008. Rife with sound problems and a miniature squabble between he and the sound guy, the show fell victim to (unfortunate, unforeseen, likely unfair) circumstance. Now, a year and a few months later, Birthmark was back in Chicago and allowed a proper go at it. It wasn’t redemption-worthy, but it was nice to see things go so well for the guy known as “Nice Guy Nate” to his friends.
Kurt Niesman of Slick Conditions closed out the show with a concise, jolty one-hitter. Those who had stayed till the very end were a little sleepy headed, but still as focused and appreciative as they were three hours earlier when the show started. The was a small rumor floating about that the members of Cap’n Jazz were going to come out after Niesman’s song and treat the remaining in attendance to a short Owls set, but it wasn’t meant to be. Perhaps they’re saving that for another day, at another show of another variety. Four-song reunion? Nah. Too soon.
(Special thanks to reader Justin for recording the duration of Friday’s show with his trusty iPhone.)
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