Twice Is A Charm

On Thursday night I experienced the magic that is Frightened Rabbit with my roommate, who turned into a mostly dysfunctional zombie by the time the concert ended. An unexpected added opener prolonged the wait for the headliner, as Frightened Rabbit didn’t take the stage until 10:45, a mere 3 odd hours after the advertised 7:30 start time. Openers The Phantom Band, hailing from Scotland, and Plants and Animals, a pet-favorite of mind, did provide great opening music. As Frightened Rabbit is a relatively unknown band with a cult following, the hipster crowd was out in full force, parading the horror that is skinny jeans and those winter hats that hang limp in the back. Even though it was a 17 and older show, I felt like an elder statesmen, surrounded by mere fetuses.

I saw Frightened Rabbit in Chicago this past summer and was truly excited to listen to their music live again. They did not disappoint. Their passion, energy, sincerity, and musical prowess meshed to form a rare musical spectacle.

I had never visited the House of Blues before, and absolutely loved the setting. The space was quite intimate, with three levels providing the capacity instead of a sprawling floor. It has an older feel to it, and gives you the impression that the walls have seen many great shows.

“Things” aptly led off the festivities with its mellow beginnings growing into vibrant sound. They bring such life to their songs, no matter how morose and desolate the lyrics may be. “Old Old Fashioned” and “The Twist” spawned Cheshire cat smiles throughout the crowd. The stripped down, acoustic-only “Poke” hushed the entire audience. “My Backwards Walk” began with a driving beat, and grew into a heart-ripping crescendo, rending aorta from ventricle.

As the audience screamed their praise and waited impatiently for an encore, Frightened Rabbit obliged with three songs, culminating with the one favorite song I had yet to hear, “The Loneliness and the Scream.”

It was the last show of their U.S. tour, and all three bands joined on stage as the song looped on and on. Some sat on others’ shoulders, some threw paper planes into the crowd, and all beamed as the thankful masses voiced their appreciation. The gratitude of a band unchanged by fame was evident and made even bigger fans out of all.

Frightened Rabbit

Last night I had the pleasure of experiencing Frightened Rabbit in concert. Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, frontman Scott Hutchinson acknowledged that "this is still kind of big for us" to the 1100 devoted fans in the Metro. They have somewhat of a cult following, with almost all of the crowd knowing the lyrics to every song. Their sound is unique, their talent undeniable, their music infectious, and their emotion sincere. "Skip The Youth" set the tone for the night, raising pulses and filling ears with joy. "Living In Colour", "Old Fashioned", and "The Twist" stirred the crowd into a toe-tapping, booty-shaking frenzy, joining with the audience in a glorious union of happy voices. The stripped-down, acoustically driven "Poke" hushed the masses with its simplistic, biting lyrics, and "My Backwards Walk" bit to the core with its dark, cynical, and hopelessly realistic lyrics. A few years ago, I road-tripped to Cleveland (yikes) to witness Damien Rice in concert. I did not expect that concert to be eclipsed so soon or so completely. So Seattle, go on May 16, Portland on May 17, or come to Chicago in August so you can too share in my delight and fervor.

David Ford

I had the privilege of experiencing David Ford in concert last Friday Night at Schuba's Tavern in Chicago.

David began with "Nothing At All", using only percussion and his voice. It was a stirring beginning, full of passion and the wondrously raw and mystical lyrics I have come to love. The performance room at Schuba's only has a capacity of 100 at the most, giving an intimate sound and feeling. With only his voice and a little percussion, David filled the entire room and gave us all a taste of how special the night would be.

He followed that up with "Panic", the leading track of his newest release, "Let The Hard Times Roll." Panic is one of those epic Ford ballads that begin with humility and end in crashing overtones of in-your-face realism. "But all this progress that I've made, has left me bitter and afraid, I bolt the doors and let the trappings of my life surround me. And hope to God nobody calls, but trust the scratching in my walls, to be my comfort and my shelter, from the world around me." It's what makes him great.

Next was and old song called "I Don't Care What You Call Me." The song begins, "I never made time, you never made much sense, we never stood a chance, if we're honest." Simple words, no novelty here, but such depth and emotion behind every word. When he screams at the end of the song, "Scream me on down, I am so forgettable, yes I know" you wouldn't find a soul in the place who didn't feel like they were being let into something rare and meaningful.

"To Hell With The World" followed; a song about the modern age. He sings that, "Maybe the greatest of heroes inhabit the stories that nobody hears" but always comes back to the wrenching chorus, "so to hell with the world, I still love you my girl, you've been crazy to stand by my side. So let's stand and let's sing, and there are beautiful things, if you know the places they hide." I want to find those places.

"She's Not The One" came next. It's not what the titles makes it seem. It's a love song for Margaret Thatcher who in Ford's spoken words "seemed to keep getting elected, yet no one admitted voting for her." Any song that I still like after throwing in a jab about Ronald Regan, even a good natured one, can only come from someone I admire as much as Ford.

Next came "Stephen", the tender remembrance of a murdered Irish policeman. Ford talked about his responsibility as an artist to "document the age we live in" and this was one of his attempts. When he sang, "I've never seen any darkness so deep as the moment when I clicked off the light" I got chills.

"Waiting For The Storm" is another track from his new album, one I had only a limited time of a few weeks to get acquainted with. It's another of the intense ballads from Ford, that always seem the grow grander in concert than on the record. "And all this flesh and bone, still walk this weary path alone, still waiting for the storm."

The show ended with three of Ford's most grand, passionate, and soul-baring songs.

"Requiem" much like "Panic" started soft and grew and grew and grew, ending in the most beautiful cacophony of looped, eardrum crushing, lyrical mastery you've ever heard. Some lyrical highlights: "And you can never taste freedom boys if you run from a fight." "Every administration blames the one from last year."

"Song For The Road" is his homesick, road song that he sings for his wife and family. The reason I love this song so much is that he didn't write it for anyone else but the one he loved, he didn't commercialize it with cliches, and he was original. The verse, "So you can keep your belief in whatever, I'll wear my cynicism like a tattoo. While poets try to engineer definitions of love, well you know all I can think of is you" is my favorite verse in any song ever written. There have been millions of love songs written and I've heard hundreds, and none seem to capture emotion like that single verse. Near the end of the song, he hits us again with profound honesty, "Now I don't like using words like forever, but I will love you til the end of today. And in the morning when I remember everything that you are, I know I'll fall for you all over again." We should all be so lucky to feel that.

He finished with his traditional closing song, "State of the Union." This song makes "Panic" and "Requiem" seem like child's play. At the end, Ford collapsed from exhaustion most likely due to his pouring all of himself into yet another concert. You have been given a glimpse into his life. In an age where people rarely give even close friends and family a glimpse into their life, Ford gives glimpses to complete strangers. That is what makes his music so compelling to listen to.

Brunch Places

Here is a rough ranking of brunch places in Chicago.

I gave each place a 1-10 score in 8 different categories: eggs menu, sweets menu, eggs, sweets, potatoes, price, ambience, and wait times.

Place, Score, High, Low

Feast, 62/80, Potatoes-10, Price-3

Nookies, 57/80, Wait-9, Potatoes-5

Sam & George's, 55/80, Eggs Menu-9, Sweets-5

Ann Sather, 50/80, Price-8, Potatoes-5

Bakin' 'N Eggs, 49/80, Ambience-8, Eggs Menu-4

Toast, 44/80, Sweets Menu-8, Eggs Menu-3

Julius Meinl, 42/80, Eggs-6, Price-5

Uncommon Ground, 41/80, Ambience-7, Price-4

Southport Grocery, 41/80, Ambience-8, Eggs Menu-3

Bongo Room, 32/80, Ambience-6, Wait-2

Best Eggs Menu: Feast

Best Sweets Menu: Toast

Best Eggs: Feast

Best Sweets: Toast

Best Potatoes: Feast

Best Price: (T) Ann Sather, Nookies

Best Ambience: (T) Bakin' 'N Eggs, Southport Grocery

Best Wait: Sam & George's