Rock the Garden – Day Two at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (22 June 2014) concert review

 

 

 

 

Coverage continues on our second day at the Walker Art Center for the Two-Day Rock the Garden Festival.

Valerie June-

Skies grayed, thunder rumbled, and a light rain fell as Memphis-based singer-songwriter Valerie June took the stage to open Day Two, in support of her acclaimed Pushin’ Against a Stone (Concord Music). Now a trio, as opposed to her previous solo visit to town, the laid back Southern drawl of ‘Tennessee Time’ and ‘Somebody to Love’ was an ideal musical hangover cure to get everyone back in the mood for another day of varied sounds.

With Medusa-like hair and banjo-plucking skills, she declared, “We’re going to send the rain away” and did so, appropriately during ‘Rain Dance.’  Blues classic ‘Rollin and Tumblin’ was segued into her own ‘Workin’ Woman Blues’ and the gospel-flavored ‘This World’ ended the set, perfectly setting the table for the day ahead.

Kurt Vile and the Violators-

Though he looks like he could be guitarist for Megadeth, there is a subtle power to former War on Drugs member Kurt Vile.  He and his Violators (multi-instrumentalists Jesse Trbovich and Rob Laakso, with drummer Kyle Spence) plodded through a careful and building set of songs, in support of recent solo efforts, Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze and the EP, It’s a Big World Out There (And I Am Scared) (on Matador Records).

Vile himself plays with an almost introverted style, often staring down at his own guitar, long hair shielding any glimpse of his face.  After quoting Willy Wonka, a fan shouted for a Willy Wonka cover, to which Vile replied, “…charming”. The psychedelics and feedback continued to increase as the set progressed, but Vile chose to downshift at the end, with a quiet and soft ‘Dead Alive’ to a hushed crowd.

Dessa-

In an hour-long riveting hometown performance, poet / rapper / TV host / author / Doomtree member, etc. Dessa showed the love back to the local crowd that was already in the palm of her hand, even before her first verse.  Darting and moving like a boxer, she played with the ability to see her own giant-sized face on the screens; would dive into the audience; throw a tub of gelato into the crowd in a cathartic gesture that recalled her food sampling days handing out the dessert at Whole Foods; and late in the set,, serenaded the crowd, jumping from the stage to walk from the pit to the soundboard and back.

 

Having Aby Wolf sing harmonies and trade verses was one of the smartest band decisions she’s made, and fellow Doomtree member Cecil Otter, spit fire, guesting on ‘Little Mercy’.This was a very tight and athletic-like performance, backed by her crack local band, which enhanced the often intense lyrics of songs like ‘Call Off Your Ghost’ and hit, ‘Dixon’s Girl’. ‘Dixon’s’ , played late in the set, especially pleased a young girl in the crowd middle, atop her father’s shoulder, holding a sign with the song’s title on it.

“Lizzo isn’t my competition…”, Dessa would remark, dispelling any rumors of such, “…time is. Laundry is my competition.” More than a local performance, Dessa was triumphant in front of the audience that has supported her and her Doomtree collective for so long, as she would mention with gratitude.

Guided by Voices-

Current DJ Mark Wheat went on-stage to intro the legendary Guided by Voices, but first gave the crowd a score update to the US game of the World Cup.  This led into chants of “USA, USA”, which in turn, morphed into even louder chants of “GBV, GBV”.  Bob Pollard and crew then took to the stage, armed with literally thousands of possible songs they could do, “We’re going to do 24 songs for you”, Pollard said …they did 25.

“More bang for your buck”, and after a crew member had taped down Pollard’s mic further, so it wouldn’t dislodge from his swinging, the band put pedal to the metal and was off down their musical, devil-may-care road.

The 56-year old white haired singer was amazingly spry during their hour-long set, kicking his leg to touch his hand, jumping about, and prowling from end-to-end on stage.  By contrast, guitarists Tobin Sprout and Mitch Mitchell were rock steady, with Mitchell looking ever deadpan with a lingering cigarette butt, dangling from his lip.  Bassist Greg Demos moved about in the background, striking poses with bass held high, everyone keeping up with Pollard and his resistance to even pause too long to take a breath.

New album, Bee Thousand (Scat Records) songs were mixed into the set, alongside older favorites like the Rick Ocasek-produced “Teenage FBI’, “we worked with the big boys”, Pollard would comment about The Cars singer.  Pollard even slighted local legend Paul Westerberg, saying they’ve played here some twenty times, and had yet to get a glimpse of the somewhat reclusive Replacements leader.

Spoon-

“I’m not gonna say where we were last night (ed. note: it was Toronto)… but it wasn’t this good”, Spoon’s singer Britt Daniel confessed to an enthusiastic crowd early in their 75 min. set.  Starting with new songs from their upcoming They Want My Soul (out August 5 on Loma Vista/Republic), the audience was among the first to hear many of the new and yet-to-be-released songs live, which made the clear Sunday evening, seem even more special.

2007 breakthrough album album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge Records) was well-represented as well in this abbreviated set, though at the expense of 2010 album, Transference, as I especially missed the inclusion of ‘Written in Reverse’. Daniel, Jim Eno (drums), and band didn’t say a lot to the crowd, carrying on with a confident mix of songs old and new to an already-convinced audience.

An extra boost of energy was provided by Brooklyn band White Rabbits’ guitarist/percussionist Steve Patterson, who was ably filling in for Rob Pope, whose wife was due with child.  Daniel had first met White Rabbits in Minneapolis and went on to produce on of their albums, so the chemistry between Patterson and band seemed natural and unforced.  Daniel’s voice and guitar work moved from elegance to fierceness almost on a coin-flip, and the songs on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga received the most enthusiastic response.

A three-song encore closed the night and festival, highlighted by ‘You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb’, which was great to hear within earshot of the famous Oldenburg Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture in the adjoining garden. For the faithful, Spoon returns to town with a downtown theater show in mid-September.