Jon Brion, The One-Man Band

It turns out Jon Brion of Eternal Sunshine…/Late Registration fame has a weekly show on La Cienega within walking distance from my crib (the fact that I can walk to anything of note from my apartment is, in itself, astonishing).  It took a visit from my friend and Whale Vagina (aka Bear Hands) guitarist Ted Feldman for me to discover this.  So we stopped by this past Friday to witness Mr. Brion performing in a setting that resembled a piano recital more than a rock concert.  I showed up late, as I am apt to do, and upon arrival, I was instructed to turn off my cell phone and stealthily find my seat in the back of the theater.  Sheesh.

Brion’s set included a saloon-style, upright piano, a bunch of CD/DVD turntables, a guitar plus octave pedal (i.e. bass), harmonica, drums, and a couple synths;  These were all hooked up to a loop machine and apparently controlled via pedal board.  So, in a typical song, he might play an 8-bar loop, let it ride, move to the piano, play a 16-bar loop,  move to the guitar, etc. etc.— pretty cool for a while, but since a majority of his set was played this way, the limitations of not having a band became increasingly stark.  At the end, Fiona Apple appeared from backstage for an extended session plus band.

Some notes from the show:

• Jon Brion doesn’t always write the most intricate music, but he is talented as fuck and can shred on the keys
• He can (obviously) play a bunch of instruments competently, and he alternates between jazz, lounge, pop, rock, and bluegrass with great ease
• Fiona Apple’s voice is not the result of production tricks; she sounds incredible live
• I’m suddenly very attracted to Fiona Apple

Stay Classy.