Saturday, January 31, 2015

Recording: Slim Twig

Artist: Slim Twig

Songs: J.C. Walked On Water (I'm Walking On Air)* + Widow, Were You Younger + Black Country Rock [David Bowie cover]/Fog Of Sex (N.S.I.S.)*

Recorded at The Silver Dollar Room, January 23, 2015.

Slim Twig - J.C. Walked On Water (I'm Walking On Air)

Slim Twig - Widow, Were You Younger

Slim Twig - Black Country Rock/Fog Of Sex (N.S.I.S.)

A big homecoming for Max Turnbull, ending a tour with his first "name" hometown show in a year to a nice, full house at the Silver Dollar. And with some validation in his back pocket, to boot, with NYC's DFA Records re-issuing 2012's A Hound at the Hem to a wider audience than it had previously enjoyed. Turnbull could have been embittered by the whole experience and local indifference but instead stayed positive, praising local indie Pleasence (who had helped get the album out originally) and reminding the crowd how much great music there is to be had in these parts.

As to what he was going to do to reproduce his most ornate album on stage, the answer turned out to be "not very much". Instead, fronting a new, heavy rock-action version of the Slim Twig band (including Simone T-B on drums, Meg Remy on keybs and Michael Rault on bass) he offered a set filled with mostly new material. The fact that two-thirds of that backing line-up overlap with his collaborative group Darlene Shrugg make it no surprise that they share some of the same impulses towards heavy-chugging psych-flavoured excursions. To get a taste of what was on offer, here's something new (and one, Turnbull declared, that wasn't even good enough to make the cut on the band's forthcoming album!), one of the two Hound cuts that were essayed, and something from the set-ending cover segment.

* See the officially-sourced annotations in the comment below!

2 comments:

  1. Joe,

    Thanks again for recording the gig. A couple notes...

    1). We played 2 cuts off Hound. Widow, & Maintain the Charade. That's 1/4 of the album. Not bad for a guitar rock combo considering it's an orchestral / keyboard album!

    2). The tune not good enough for the new record is called J.C. Walked On Water (I'm Walking On Air).

    3). The unknown bit tacked onto the end of BCR is also a new one, which will remain nameless for the time being.

    Thanks again,
    ST.

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    1. Merci! Noted and updated above. My notes from the night indeed missed Maintain the Charade.

      I'll also confess I spent a little time rooting around to see if that bit after Black Country rock was a Bowie b-side or a T. Rex obscurity or something.

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