Feels like a while since we've done one of these

So last night we had Gloryhound & the Skyhawks doing Tribeca Unplugged, so to speak. Or rather, they were plugged in all right, but they were using acoustic instruments for the most part (except for the bass) and Shaun played at least some of the songs with brushes instead of sticks, so the drums had that nice scuffling sound.

They'd sent a note out through the Facebook group to say the show was going to be acoustic, and quite a lot of people turned out to see how it would go. I was talking to Evan and Jeremy for a minute before they started and asked the obvious question ("Why?") which got the reasonable answer that changing things up periodically keeps things interesting for the band. Which reminded me a bit of other shows I've been to (including, somewhat ironically, this one) where the artist plays a song that I know, but don't recognize because they've reinvented it. I always find that cool, if only because it makes me stop and think about a song I may know very well as a song again, you know? And I said as much.

Evan and Jeremy: (gleefully) "One of the songs has been totally rearranged--wait until you hear it!"

And on that note, they went off to play the first set. I do love a cliffhanger.


I also love a banjo, although I did kind of laugh to myself thinking about that Divorcees song I've been playing all week ("You Ain't Gettin' My Country"), which notes that "banjos in a rock song just ain't right." Well, sure they are, as long as everyone's clear on what they're doing.

[Yeah, Dave has a banjo. I understand that's a pretty recent addition to his repertoire, and while he is not yet Pete Seeger, I have no complaints.]

I'll get to the set list in a minute, but the set list just doesn't convey how much fun the whole evening was. I have said before that, since I really don't know anything about music I don't notice mistakes (I may be aware of a really good performance) but what I pick up on is the feeling in the room. When I notice that I'm wearing a big dumb grin as I listen to a band, it generally means something is very much right with the world. Last night I kept seeing the same big dumb grin everywhere I looked. I mean, the band sounded like they were having a blast, everyone in the audience (and there were quite a few of us) seemed to be delighted, it was great.

And yes, speaking as someone who has heard some of these songs a lot, it was more than cool to hear what they sounded like as reimagined by the band. "Midnight Bird," the opener, was a really nice foreshadow of what was coming up: on three acoustic guitars plus bass and drums it didn't so much slow down as develop a really nice folky swing. "Powderfinger" got what may well be the acoustic-Neil treatment, and "Friend Of the Devil" (which you know I was hoping they'd play) sounded more like the arrangement on American Beauty than I think I have ever heard these guys play it.

Adam was about three lines into the vocal on "Long Arm" before I actually clued in and recognized it--again, and moreso, it kind of swung in a different way than the electric version, and the addition of some pretty harmonies and Dave on slide guitar made it a completely different song. That was the biggest surprise of the night but I have to admit, I didn't recognize "Flee the Scene" right away, and although I thought I recognized "You Gotta Learn" almost immediately, I wasn't confident enough to write down the title until a couple of lines in.

Other highlights included a number of Tom Petty songs, several tunes with the band's friend Dan Harper playing harmonica (there was crossover between these two things) and two songs that have only been played a couple of times during the Tribeca series: "Pocahontas" by Neil Young (which Evan played once between sets and I had wished they'd play again) and "The Long Black Veil" (The Band's arrangement) which has turned up two or three times.

Another thing I really noticed was, in the acoustic arrangements it seemed like the singers had more to do--backing vocals were sort of punched up and in some songs were more complex, and Evan and Adam especially traded verses a little more than they do in the louder environment. Which I guess makes sense: they were using different instruments to create the effect they were going for.

I took some pictures, all of which kind of suck, but I didn't see the regular photographer on hand and it seemed like a shame not to at least try to preserve the moment. (I would have had to be practically onstage to get good photos, and that would have been intrusive.) So, with apologies for the quality and especially the werewolf-like red-eye vibe (but, I assure you, friendly werewolves), here they are:


Left to right: Adam, Shaun (background, in hat), Evan (guitar), Jeremy (white shirt), Dave (guitar)


L-R: Evan (sorry about the red eyes...), Jeremy, Dave


L-R: Adam, Shaun, Evan, Jeremy, Dave


L-R: Dan Harper, Evan, Jeremy, Dave


Harper


L-R: Evan, Jeremy, Dave on lap steel


Dave on lap steel


L-R: Evan, Dave on banjo, Jeremy


L-R: Adam, Evan, Shaun, Dave, Jeremy

And here's the set list:

Set List
Set #1

Midnight Bird

Pinch My Face (Dave: banjo)

Long Arm (Adam: vocals, Dave: slide guitar)

The Last DJ (Tom Petty)

Standing Still

Powderfinger (Neil Young)

Flee the Scene

Swingin' (Tom Petty)

Bright In the Dark

Friend Of the Devil (Grateful Dead; Dave: banjo)

Break
Set #2

Out On the Weekend (Neil Young; Dave: lap steel, Harper: harmonica)

Last Dance With Mary Jane (Tom Petty; Dave: lap steel, Harper: harmonica)

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (Bob Dylan; Evan and Adam traded verses and sang the last one together, and yeah, I do like the covers better than the original. Sorry, Bob)

Ballad of Dan Mattie

The Long Black Veil (The Band's arrangement, more or less; Dave: banjo)

To Be Young (Ryan Adams)

New original

Meet Me In the Morning (Bob Dylan)

Break
Set #3

"No stone's been unturned"

Leanin' On the Wind (Adam: vocals)

Pocahontas (Neil Young)

Not Born To Follow (The Byrds)

From A Buick 6 (Bob Dylan)

You Gotta Learn

Helpless (Neil Young)

Ohio (Neil Young)

I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan/The Band; Evan & Adam traded verses and then both of them and Dave sang the final verse together)
And then, because nobody was quite ready for the night to end,

The Weight (The Band; Dave, Evan, and Adam each took a verse and sang the last one together)

The show actually ran a few minutes long because nobody wanted to stop, on or offstage. As it happens, I'm also out of space in my little notebook, so I have to think I'm ending that one on a high note.

I was disappointed to miss the show on Tuesday, but it seems like the one last night was twice as much fun as usual, so it appears things have evened out. Gotta love that.