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November 4, 2006

A Blue Night

So I went to the House of Blues Wednesday night not to see the Gin Blossoms, who were headlining, but to see his support Shawn Mullins. Somehow, I'd gotten it into my head that Josh Kelley was opening, but when I got to the HOB, someone else's name was written on the bill. Well, that someone else (whose name escapes me at the moment) had to cancel due to a death in the family, and Evan and Jaron opened instead. The duo (two cute boys and their guitars) reminded me a bit of Hanna McEuen, minus the Roy Orbison influence, and with a very funny song called "Leave Your Wife in the Truck," which included a very intentional dig at Rascal Flatts, which of course only made me love them more.

I just saw Shawn Mullins, the former Thorn, less than a month and a half ago at his showcase for the Americana Music Association Conference in Nashville, and his show there was so good, I couldn't pass up the chance to see him again, even if it meant he'd probably be playing an identical set, which he did. Shawn has for sure had some success in the pop world with his song "Lullaby," but even that song, I think, has an Americana feel to it, and the songs on his latest CD 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor, even more so. Accompanied only by multi-instrumentalist Clay Cook, I couldn't believe how much sound came out of only two instruments at a time. My friend Pam described Shawn's voice "like a pillar, and everything else in the room surrounds it," and he plays his guitar in the same manner. His song "Santa Fe" makes me want to live there, and the line, "I'd drink a whole bottle of my pride" from "Shimmer" stops me dead EVERY time I hear it. I'm also not tired of hearing his story about how the third verse of "Blue As You" was written by Matthew Sweet, who they'd woken up to participate. The story goes that Matthew woke up, groggily muttered the verse while Shawn wrote it down, and then Matthew promptly went back to sleep (look up the verse yourself if you're really interested). Shawn mentioned, "I don't know what this song's about, but I like how it makes me feel when I sing it." I could listen to "Beautiful Wreck" forever, and there's nothing like a good murder song like "Cold, Black Heart" to endear you to your audience. Also touching was his cover of "House of the Rising Sun," also from 9th Ward, which was named after the New Orleans studio in which about half of the album was recorded.

I was a bit surprised that the show wasn't sold out; I thought the Gin Blossoms had a pretty good following, but I also embarrassingly had them confused with the Goo Goo Dolls when I learned I'd be going to this show. Although I only recognized three or four of their songs, they reminded me of a very mild Son Volt. VERY mild, mind you. The highlight of the show for me was obviously Shawn Mullins, but I can't say I didn't appreciate the chance to expand my horizons.

Posted by darlin at November 4, 2006 4:55 PM