The Flower Furnace - Hitting My Musical Sweet Spot - Again

Light show and all, the Furnace rocks the Bistro

Today, I read a long article in the November 26, 2012 issue of the New Yorker on the music of the Grateful Dead. In Deadhead - The Afterlife, Nick Paumgarten recalls when he first discovered the band in the 1980s as a teenager. Describing his strong attachment to that period of the Dead's output, he says, "People say that the music you liked when you hit puberty is the stuff that sticks with you." He's so right.

That's why I love the Flower Furnace. Their music, ranging from 1965 to 1975, hits my sweet spot--and a little more. In 1965, I was 12, and glued to the radio, where I absorbed Motown, the British Invasion (led by the Beatles, Stones, Dave Clark 5, the Who) and the American hits by the Beach Boys, Four Seasons, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Paul Revere and the Raiders and many more.

I have what I consider a "phonographic memory" for songs from 1964 to 1968 (and maybe 1969 too)--my middle school and high school years. I know all the words and can nearly always sing along. It does help that I started playing the guitar in 1967 and was actually strumming some of these songs myself, but no other period of my life contains music that affects me this deeply.

Watching and listening to the band at the Bistro in Hayward, California (for the second time -- read my first post here) just reinforced this. How wonderful to be able to absorb the Jefferson Airplane's Somebody to Love -- the Furnace's opener-- LIVE! 1967 is the epicenter of that 60's musical earthquake that happened in San Francisco, and that song is about as emblematic of the way I felt then as it gets.

What about I am the Walrus--the band's finale? Not even the Beatles played that one live! And although the Fleetwood Mac, Peter Frampton and Kansas songs the Furnace knocks off so meticulously are not in my golden period, I owned those vinyl albums too. I just couldn't sing along quite as easily on Saturday.

The Bistro crowd responds to these songs, and cheers the musicians on. Three powerful sets delivered the goods. The show went 20 minutes past midnight, and I'm sure we would all have stayed another couple of hours if they had kept playing.

The Shins - James Mercer Strikes a Chord

Funny how you learn about things. I was reading through the March 26, 2012 issue of the New Yorker and discovered a story on the Shins. Because it was in the Music section and on the opposite page I noticed a flowery photo of bandleader James Mercer, I read the article and learned a little about them--including getting a review of their new album, Port of Morrow (pictured).

The Shins, which is James Mercer's songs and singing with various musicians, sounded like a band worth exploring. Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico but now situated in Portland, they have been active for 16 years. I had heard a little about them before and the story was compelling but it wasn't until I happened to see the CD sitting in the rack at Starbucks that I plunked down my $12.95 and grabbed my own copy.

Funny--the packaging looked shiny, with dark photos of Mercer on the front (surrounded by positive blurbs from music industry reviewers and him with his musicians on the back with the song list. Dark and sober. It turns out, that's a fake cover--the real paper sleeve has a gray and black design that, it appears, was deemed too dull to market at a coffee place. In any case, I slipped it into my car's CD player and the fun began.

The Rifle's Spiral starts it off quickly, and then Simple Song and It's Only Life keep the momentum going. Simple Song reminded me of something by U2. Mercer was presented in the New Yorker story as being a quiet, modest performer, but the material on this new album has plenty of power and impact.

As someone whose first set of favorite songs dates from the Lyndon Johnson administration, it's always good to find new artists that I can relate to. Last year it was a fling with Owl City--also the workings of a single person, only in that case, there isn't even a backup band--Adam Young does it all on his songs.

Who does James Mercer sound like? I hear some John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Gerry Rafferty--and Jon Anderson of Yes. A little David Bowie in the final track? The chord changes are exciting and satisfying and the little details of production make for a musical adventure.

I've already played through the CD several times in the car and had a couple of headphones-in-the-chair close examinations. Very worth it--and it's good to live in the 21st century at least part of the time.