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The oppressive heat has smothered the East Coast turning
Up first was Deer Tick front-man John McCauley going it solo in front of a good size crowd. McCauley was in tough shape, sounding sick and asking for tissues and apologizing for his voice a few times during the set, not a recipe for a complexly-engaging solo acoustic set, but he soldiered on. His choice covers of Warren Zevon’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” and John Prine’s “Mexican Home” was inspired showing great taste, and his originals like “Little White Lies” and “Art Isn’t Real aka Sin City” show promise. Tinkering with his voice and some arraignments made for an interesting set, and the crowd requested closer, “Old Shoes” was catchy, but a second viewing of John is needed as energy and potential are evident.
When AA Bondy played next, the show seemed to ramp-up all on its own. Bondy has a commanding stage presence that instantly draws you into the body of his guitar and the depth of his voice and lyrics. Once hooked it is hard to turn away as the strong songs and strums make you yearn for more. An early gem “American Hearts” shown, followed by a cover of the traditionally apocalyptic “John the Revelator,” which added gravity to the set. Other highlights were the requested “Lover’s Waltz” and set-closing “Black Rain.” The “Vice Rag” group participation stomp was riveting as well; perhaps a name change is in order, anyone feeling the “Vice Stomp?”
Bondy radiates a Guthrie-Without-A-Cause vibe, pouring James Dean cool into a folkie persona. Taking this premise to another level; Bondy has the makings of a folk classic but is content to sing about love, addiction, and Jesus (for now) and let issues come to him gradually as he emerges as an artist. He is doing a damn good job – turns out he even broke the heat…summoning the rains during his set and then, just as quickly, stopping them when he was done.
