Kurt Vile Played Amnesia - Photos, Review

It takes a fair amount of talent to get a crowd to stick around at midnight on a Sunday. It takes even more to get that same crowd to eagerly line up at the end of the show and dole out hard earned cash for test-pressing 7" vinyl. Last Sunday at Amnesia, Kurt Vile managed to do both those things and then some, delivering an awesome set of abstract rock and roll, with support from only one other musician (j turbo?).

The two took to the stage a little before 12, and immediately delved into Vile's signature sound: Dark, murky vocals, pedal-tweaked guitars, and undeniably accessible melody. Meanwhile, his compadre on stage broke out an array of instruments, ranging from harmonica, to saxophone, to electric guitar. The set was definitely tight, but we can imagine if you had no familiarity with Vile, perhaps a little difficult. Luckily, it seemed like almost the entire crowd was in for the long haul.

The most interesting aspect of Vile's performance was the almost effortless carelessness with which he tossed off the songs. Much of the most accessible material in his catalogue almost seemed to annoy him to the point where he would blow through them. By contrast, some of the most intricate and played out jams were on songs that Vile has yet to record. In short, he seemed to be suffering to some degree from the short attention span that often plagues prolific writers.

By the end of the set, we (along with the rest of the crowd) were thoroughly impressed by Vile's songwriting and performance. Perhaps the only downside was that the man never showed his face, and that he didn't play "My Best Friends". Still, as they say, there's always next time. We're pretty sure that "next time" be in a larger venue, and that Vile's popularity will be steadily climbing. In short, the guy is the real deal - and we expect that realization to keep growing across the music world in the coming months.

Pirate Radio: New Record, At Amnesia Tonight

Normally being compared to Bob Dylan is not a good thing. It's kind of like being compared to The Beatles: the implied greatness of the artist somehow indicates that trying to emulate them is futile. That being said, we have to admit that sometimes you can be compared to the greats and have it be a good thing: Such is the case with Pirate Radio. The band released their new record Welcome Home at the beginning at the month, and the first thing we thought when we heard it was "Oh Mercy".

That's certainly a vocal nod, but the more we listened to the disc, the more that we realized there's a whole lot more going on than just a solid vocal tribute. The band has an understated traditional rock vibe that manages to keep you listening and paying attention even when the overall tone of the piece seems familiar. Put differently, they deliver a record of actual high quality rock songs, rather than an imitation of those that already exist. That being said, the record's vibe is definitely traditional. It would be hard to argue that there are many difficult musical boundries being broken. Rather, it's a solid effort in songwriting and instrumentation rooted firmly in the traditions of Dylan, Young, and Springsteen.

We have yet to see the band live, and unfortunately our schedule keeps sidelining us whenever they're playing. However, for you lucky folks, the band will be at Amnesia this evening. If you're feeling in the mood for some quality tunes, it's worth checking out.