Rodriguez Concert Review
“I’m honored and pleased and privileged to be here,” said Sixto
Rodriguez at the beginning of his hour-long set at the Beachland
Ballroom on Friday night. Rodriguez, the 66-year-old Detroit-based
singer-songwriter whose career has gotten a second look thanks to a
pair of reissues on the indie Light in the Attic label, adjusted his
black hat and sunglasses and then added, “I love this place.”
Maybe so, but the soft-spoken Rodriguez appeared to be barely
holding it together when his show began, his slight voice recalling Bob
Dylan’s, as he essentially whispered his way through a few songs. Four
songs into the set, however, he relaxed a bit, thanks in part to a
three-piece backing band of younger dudes who gave him plenty of
direction and provided the songs with an appropriate amount of
garage-rock grit.
From that point on, the set was mesmerizing. “Sugar Man” was
delivered with a series of twisted guitar riffs. The concert came to a
strange, awkward end (it really wasn’t clear that the show was over),
before Rodriguez returned for a two-song encore — though it took
some encouragement from the sparse crowd to get him back onstage. “You
can see I’m developing as an artist,” said Rodriguez. “Consider this
gig a big step in the right direction.” That’s an appropriate summation
of his performance. — Jeff Niesel
Zaza, Now Shred-Free
Clevelanders whose memories go back a few years might be startled to
see the mention of a band called Zaza playing at the Beachland Tavern
with the Pains of Being Pure at Heart on Thursday. No, it’s not a
reunion of the hard-rocking hair band that sailed to the top of the
Cleveland rock scene in the late ’80s and early ’90s. And it has
nothing to do with that band’s former guitar player Neil Zaza, who has
continued to do clinics and performances and make instrumental records
since his band’s 1992 demise.
This Zaza — like their friends the Pains — is yet
another buzz band out of red-hot Brooklyn, a dreamy, sultry ambient pop
duo influenced by shoegazer bands like My Bloody Valentine. The New
York Zaza released a four-track EP called Cameo late last year.
Their plush, warmly melodic music is well worth a listen. But to those
of us who remember the old Zaza and their 1991 CD Party With the Big
Boys, it’s just, well, kind of weird. — Anastasia
Pantsios
Q&A With Simeon Soul Charger
Aaron Brooks is no longer a Trendy punk. Simeon Soul Charger, his
mature new rock band, recently released its self-titled debut EP. If
you’re looking for the infectious, wise-assed pop-punk Brooks played in
Trendy, you’ll either be disappointed or impressed. “To make a long
story short, I grew up, my taste changed, my goals changed, and now I’m
here,” says Brooks. “I’m over the lowbrow now.”
You had a professional management company with Trendy, but now
you’re literally giving the music away. Why do the DIY thing?
It’s the perfect time to do it. Everyone is broke and in search of
something new. The major music industry is in shambles, and the labels
that are able to sign bands are putting out mountains of formula-driven
garbage. People are going to download anyway, and I’ve wanted to give
away the music for free since the days of Trendy. It literally makes it
completely accessible on a world-wide level to anyone that wants
it.
How did you go from “S&M” to songs with a cello and
choir?
I think somewhere deep down I knew that writing a song like
“S&M” would appeal to a large demographic, and I found comfort in
that. For years, all of these abstract ideas floated through my head
that used to make me think, “Well that’s really beautiful, but it
doesn’t sound like a Trendy song.” I ignored them and let them pass.
The moment I decided to open my mind to them, they started becoming
more abundant and more colorful. I expect to see this band expanding in
many more directions in the future. — D.X.
Ferris
Comment of the Week
“Let me guess … You’re a thirtysomething, hipster douchebag with
horn-rimmed glasses, a Members Only jacket and a hard-on for lame,
hipster ‘indie’ music, aren’t you? Maybe you’re just an asshole.”
– jps, in reply to Michael Gallucci’s “Not Grateful for
the Dead” post.
This article appears in Apr 29 – May 5, 2009.
