COLD ROCKS

I went with my friend, Onny, to see the Camera Obscura/Essex Green show at the Logan Square Auditorium on Saturday. Shit, it was cold out. Logan Square is a no-smoking venue which was good for me and bad for Onny. Onny forgot his cigarettes, but desperately needed a smoke before the show. So, I went directly into the venue and Onny went on the hunt for cigarettes.

I heard someone by the ticket table say that there were only 30 tickets left. Pretty good for an eyeball-freezing night.

I had silkscreened some posters for the show and decided to give them to the merch table to sell. It was cool to see people purchase the poster and then run over to show it to their friends. Not that I hovered around the merch table much.



Onny finally arrived, two cigarettes down and freezing.

The Essex Green opened and I was pleasantly surprised. I had bought a couple of their albums years back and remembered them being very dreamy and wistful. I honestly hadn't put on their albums in a year or so. Their new songs seemed to have a tighter structure. Their sound on Saturday night bridged the gap between country, folk and 60's pop.

Here's "Don't Know Why (You Stay)" from their latest album, Cannibal Sea.

I enjoyed their set so much that I bought Cannibal Sea from the merch table at the show. That's the best way to support a band you like, I've been told. Bands only get $1 from a sale when you buy at Virgin or Amazon. I think they get $8 and up per cd sold at a show.

Camera Obscura, the band I came to see, both for their amazingly strong songs and for their adorable lead singer (Lillian Gish eyes, Scottish accent and pocket-sized frame), weren't as exciting. Their set was perhaps too soft and quiet for such a big room. They're known for the upbeat pop of their breakout single "Lloyd, Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?", but the last time they came around to the Empty Bottle I was really impressed with the intimacy and longing of songs like "Country Mile". I think they probably performed the songs the same way, but they didn't play out the same in the room.

I will say, however, that this time around I noticed how much their bass player contributes to their songs' melodies. He stood in the dark at the side of the stage and never looked up. Typical bass player.