Cat Power

A few months ago my friend Joe and I missed a Cat Power show in Chicago because of a last minute cancellation by Miss Chan Marshall. This made her appearance at the Vic in early September a tough wait, but a performance more than worth it.

We arrived at the show just as Cat Power and the Memphis Rhythm Band took the stage. Each additional cast member breathed a soul into their instrument and microphone, echoing Miss Marshall’s lavishly rich timbre. I could feel the sound the band exuded, but not just because of the volume; the Rhythm Band was comprised of people who actually lived the soul scene of the 60’s and 70’s, not just read about it in a coffee shop magazine. When the voice of Cat Power’s weathered guitarist sounded like well whiskey and clover cigarettes it’s because he spent a good amount of his life drinking well whiskey and smoking clover cigarettes. Physically feeling that difference was 100% better than just listening to a record.

The set list hit everything from ‘The Covers Record’ to ‘You Are Free’ and even a few of her newest songs from ‘The Greatest.’ She transfixed the audience with her piano and guitar playing while effortlessly working in bits of schtick and subtly humorous dialogue. Marshall’s voice resonated warmly in the Vic’s atmosphere, exciting the audience into screams and hollers and drawing them back to hushed coos the next minute. If I learned anything it’s that Chan Marshall’s sultry southern lull should be some kind of national treasure.

Cat Power’s show came to a close with an encore encapsulating her diverse musical background: they performed a three song set consisting of an old spiritual hymn, the Rolling Stone’s ‘(Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,’ and Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy.’ The hymnal rang out from the bottom of Marshall’s throat, her two backup singers perfectly following suit. Satisfaction? Even her Mick Jagger impression was spot on! She kicked and stomped all over the stage, pouting her lips and throwing her voice around; everyone and everything was sufficiently rocked. The evening’s closer was ‘Crazy,’ the recent Gnarls Barkley hit, stripped of all it’s studio production and (kickass) turntable technology. All that it took to recreate the song was Marshall and her pianist, softly strolling through the chorus and verses. The crowd was incited into a hand clapping, foot stomping, sing-a-long frenzy that left everyone sighing and turning to the people around them saying: “Was that a great show or what?” Which lead me to turn to my left and coincidentally run into my friend, Sarah, who also thought the show was sweet. What a show.

Anathallo

The first time seeing the seven member band open for The Format left me standing with my mouth agape. I had never heard or read anything about this group of Mt. Pleasant, Michiganites, and the preceding opener scolded the crowd for their initial lack-luster applause:

Singer- ‘Hey guys, thanks for coming out tonight. We’ve got a few more songs and up next is Anathallo.’
Crowd-(Unenthusiastic smattering of applause. Some ‘woos.’)
Singer- ‘You guys are gonna feel like jerks for not clapping after you hear them play.’

Anathallo followed and converted the entire audience. They didn’t just get some applause and some charity enthusiasm, they unabashedly performed (not just played instruments, but performed) and made believers of us all. Lead singer Matt Joynt finished the set by bashfully admitting, ‘This is largest crowd we’ve ever played for, and I’ve never heard anyone be so loud during the loud parts and so quiet during the quiet parts. So thank you, truly, thank you.’

Seeing them at Bucky McAwesome’s was an equally as memorable live show. We drove to the Bloomington, IN venue expecting to see a marquee with “ANATHALLO TONIGHT” in lights. Instead, we pulled over in a quaint college neighborhood at the address on our directions and saw a one story house with six students drinking from red solo cups and eating grilled brats on the porch. What? So we walked up to the students and asked: ‘Um, hey. Is this where the Anathallo show is?’ One of the girls replied: ‘Yup, in the basement. You guys want a brat or something to drink?’ … I not only love Anathallo’s music and personality but I’m also the rest of their fan base. What happened was that some of Anathallo’s friends attend IU and were hosting them at their house due to a canceled show in Columbus, IN. So their friends opened their doors and their hearts to everyone who came. Too much.

The music started and more people crammed into the basement, peeking and straining on tip toes to see over the shaggy haired college kids huddled together in the front. Captivating the crowd with every hand clap and time signature change, Matt Joynt and company cultivated their sound from the basement’s meager acoustics and shabby carpeted floors. The set was cut short, however, when police arrived to shut down the house party. Apparently the number of people inside the house not only constituted a fire hazard but a noise violation as well. Hopefully the next show will be a little longer and have a set longer than 20 minutes, but other than that the experience was worth it.