Monday night concerts are tough. It can be difficult to find the ambition to leave the comfort of one’s home, especially after a day of recovering from the post-weekend blues. But, as My Old Kentucky Blog has proved time and time again, they know what will make your insides feel good on a night when you’d almost rather curl up in bed than stand in a crowd at The Vogue. Those who went to hear the rustic sounds of The Walkmen Monday night can certainly attest to the validity of this claim.

Formed as a sort of indie rock supergroup (see: Jonathan Fire*Eater and The Recoys) in 2000, The Walkmen are, indeed, a super group. Their discography includes 5 studio albums with 2008’s You & Me as the most recent release and focus of the tour. With a special preference for vintage instruments, their music is mellow and sounds aged. Upbeat numbers increase the tempo and add percussion to liven the crowd. Folky inspiration of western-born bands jazzed with east coast style drawn from their residence in New York and Pennsylvania define The Walkmen experience.

Frontman Hamilton Leithauser projects the voice of a withered man dripping with wisdom and life experiences, but maintains the appearance and baby face of a school boy- right down to his “too cool for you” demeanor and stance. If Leithauser’s voice fails to conjure thoughts of Bob Dylan in his “Like A Rolling Stone” glory days, we may need to reevaluate your musical credibility.

The Walkmen have found the perfect balance between serene folk and lively rock. At times, one could only stand and admire the musicianship as strings were plucked, drums were stricken, and keys were pushed. At other times, it was easy to unknowingly be swept away by a song’s velocity and find oneself rocking and bobbing to the music. The crowd was not idle but also not raucous; imagine the dance scene in A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Indianapolis was privileged to be the last stop of the Walkmen’s current tour. The night concluded with Leithauser’s introduction of all band members: Matt Barrick (drums), Paul Maroon (guitar), Pete Bauer (keys), and Walter Martin (bass). Trumpeters Mike Irwin and Paul Brandenburg, temporary members for the tour only, were thanked by Leithauser for their skillful contributions and great memories made. A generous three-song encore (which included 2004’s energetic hit “The Rat” that ignited the audience) finished the night around 10:30, allowing attendees to be home at a decent hour to catch adequate sleep before returning to work the next morning.

Special thanks to My Old Kentucky Blog for continuing to bring nationally recognized bands to our music-loving city, for hosting them at quality venues, for affordable ticket prices, and for early set times on weeknights. On behalf of concert fanatics across Indianapolis, we are grateful for you, MOKB.

At the fault of no one but their own pitiful selves, the crowd lacked personality and friendliness. A little girl in a purple tank top tapped me on the shoulder and defied, in her snottiest voice, “Oh cool! You stole my spot!” as she nudged me out of the mass and into the aisle way. Countless couples were in attendance, apparently for the pleasure of public groping instead of live music. Perhaps most frustrating is that the whole audience knew the music and they knew it well, evident by the mass sing-alongs that transpired during much of the concert. But, with the exception of Cursive’s most rowdy songs, the energy was low and the fans appeared to be exactly opposite of just that.

Musically, Cursive is an acquired taste. Lead singer/guitarist Tim Kasher is their unique identifier, with a vocal range as wide as the color spectrum. His style is comparable to Modest Mouse and Ugly Casanova leader Isaac Brock, laced with slight Dr. Dog inspiration. As his songs disintegrate into wails that splinter and shriek like an adolescent in puberty, one of two things happen to the listener: instant discredit as a result of talentless vocal training or immediate memorization through the beautiful, other-worldly sounds created by a single soul. We all chose the latter.

The entire band gives it their all, though, and aids equally in the crude, vigorous sound. The leopard print carpet covering the stage where bassist Matt Maginn and guitarist Ted Stevens stood could only have been saturated in sweat at the show’s conclusion.

They’re not all fast tempo and yelling, however; Cursive also has a delicate, tranquil side. Most notable of these moments was the closing number prior to the encore set, What Have I Done from their latest album, Mama, I’m Swollen. What began as a seemingly standard song precipitously morphed into something unexpectedly grand. Riding the fence between spoken word and song, in What Have I Done Kasher reflects on life’s accomplishments both from the past and future. The song begins with heavy emphasis on lyrics (“So is this my destiny? From starlight into eternity, the gods must be laughing down at me.”) and light musical background. As it progresses, however, Kasher’s vocals are backed first by a steady bass line and percussion beat, then by building layer after layer of stately sound from the entire band. He rounds out the song wailing, rather than singing, in that sweet, beautiful voice of his.

The encore set was long, almost a mini-concert in itself, leaving one in awe of Cursive’s intensity and endurance. Again, the audience was presented with an equal mix of up-beat tunes and mellow rock. A tired and perspiring crowd clapped with gratitude and patted the band on the back as they exited the stage, closing the best Monday that most of us had experienced in a long, long time.

Cursive @ Radio Radio
http://www.cursivearmy.com

July 27th, 2009
Indianapolis, Indiana

(All Photos By Gary Mead)

The Seedy Seeds
http://www.theseedyseeds.com