The Nels Cline Singers Played Le Poisson Rouge - Pictures, Review

Last night at the Village's favorite avant garde music club, we caught The Nels Cline Singers delivering the first of two sets of the night. The band is on tour for their new record Initiate, and it was the first time we'd seen them play in a couple of years. As always, they were ridiculously tight, and had a rapport that made itself immediately clear on stage.

The set was comprised of a good mix of new and old material, with a number of selections from the new record, including "Floored", "Forge", "King Queen", and the Sonic Youth-aping "Thurston County". Interestingly, the set felt like the most rock inspired we've ever seen from the trio, with bassist Devon Hoff donning an electric bass for much of the set.

Interestingly, it also seemed that the audience was most taken with the "rock" numbers, which surprised us. Most of the Cline shows we've seen on the West coast were attended by purely by jazz aficionados, but maybe that's changing. Given Cline's involvement in Wilco, it wouldn't shock us if he was getting a new fan base, and the crowd last night seemed most inspired by some of drummer Scott Amendola's most straight ahead beats.

The set was apparently cut short (according to Cline) by "too much jamming", but that didn't stop the band from bringing out some special guests for the last couple of numbers. Yuka Honda joined the band on keyboards, and Sean Lennon (introduced only as "our friend Sean" played percussion. The two served to fill out the band's sound even more, and helped to wrap up a fantastic set.

Initiate is out now on Cryptogramaphone

Many more pictures in the HAD Archive, including the Singers' youngest fan!

Nels Cline Singers Are At Le Poisson Rouge Tonight

Nels Cline in Central Park, from the HAD Archive

We'll be the first to admit that our exposure to Nels Cline is firmly rooted in his association with Wilco. However, that does nothing to change the fact that the man is a guitar badass who has a list of musical projects almost too long to comprehend. We caught him last summer at Central Park with Floored By Four, and now the man is back in town with his band The Nels Cline Singers.

The group has a new disc out, Initiate (cover above), and will be delivering two sets (7PM and 9:30PM) tonight at Le Poisson Rouge. While we haven't seen them since a couple of years back in San Francisco, wbut suffice it to say: if you have any interest in modern jazz performance, you certainly won't be disappointed.

Nels Cline: New Record, Yoshi's Oakland Tomorrow Night

While his solo work is a far cry from his musical endeavors with Wilco, Nels Cline certainly has a lot to offer on his own. For those who have taken the time to explore Cline's records, it's extremely clear that Jeff Tweedy handpicked him for a reason. His avant garde jazz material pushes many of the genre's boundries, and offers up some compelling insights into sonic experimentation.

This Spring (in addition to touring with Wilco) Cline has released a new solo record, Coward, and is touring in its support. Tomorrow night, Cline will be playing two shows at Yoshi's Oakland with his namesake band, The Nels Cline Singers. The show is a showcase for Cline's label, Cryptogramaphone Records, and will also include The Jeff Gautier Goatette. In our experience, Cline's live shows are something of a transcendent experience, and the night will definitely be do-not-miss. What's more, the new record is extremely acoustic-centric, so it'll be interesting to see how that works out in a live environment.

If that's not enough Cline for you, you're in luck! Nels' twin brother Alex will also be at Yoshi's as part of the Cryptogramaphone showcase. That show is tonight, and features the Alex Cline Continuation Quintet, with Alex on drums. What's more, you can hear the brothers talk a bit about their forays into jazz in this interview over at NPR.

mp3: Nels Cline - Epiphullum

Reminder: Nels Cline Singers Are At Cafe Du Nord Tonight

Photo from the HAD Archive

If you're not really digging the cloudy weather and collapsing economy, why not get your mind off of the drudgery with some avant garde jazz? The Nels Cline Singers will be bringing their 3-piece to Cafe Du Nord tonight to offer up a set of killer tunes. If you know Cline from Wilco, well, suffice it to say that his solo work is a bit different. That being said, it will definitely push the limits of your listening in the best possible way. Highly recommended.

Nels Cline Singers Coming To Cafe Du Nord

Photo from the HAD Archive

Sometimes-Wilco guitarist Nels Cline has no shortage of other musical projects, and many of them are based right here in the Bay Area. It's just been announced that the Nels Cline Singers will be playing a show at the Cafe Du Nord on November 19th.

The Singers are vastly different from Wilco, and somewhat hard to characterize: most descriptions usually attempt some variation on "avant garde jazz". Truth be told, that's far too much of a generalization. To our ears the band has a style that's completely its own - Cline's frenetic guitar leaves the band on a path that toes the line between rock, jazz, and everything in between. If you haven't seen them yet (or if you have, for that matter), this is a band worth checking out.

Tickets are on-sale now.