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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Golden Smog: Still magical after all these years
Wednesday 13 August @ 11:29:28 |
 by Rob van Alstyne
When rumors first began surfacing weeks ago that Golden Smog, roots-rock supergroup for the ages, were going to perform at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis, my first reaction was disbelief. What occasion could possibly be large enough to reunite the far-flung talents of Minneapolis’ finest, with Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy (who lives in Chicago) and Big Star drummer Jody Stephens (even further—Memphis)? As it turns out, all it took was one little birthday party (for Dan Murphy’s girlfriend, Melissa Gorman).
Golden Smog's manifesto: have fun first, ask questions later.
The seemingly impromptu reunion proves that the Smoggers were just itching for the excuse to get back in the saddle again and give the goods to the people. The sense of comradery and joy that the band clearly felt playing together was at the fore throughout the group’s near two-hour set this past Thursday, performed before a capacity crowd primarily made up of friends and family (and the occasional damned-lucky rock journalist). Splitting their time evenly between clever covers and their own rough-hewn classics, the bands self-effacing charm and casual stage demeanor only reinforced that stars never play this good together outside of fantasy baseball.
Led by singer/guitarists Gary Louris (the Jayhawks), Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum) and Kraig Johnson (formerly of Run Westy Run and now fronting his own band) with the aid of Jayhawk Marc Perlman and the aforementioned out-of-towners Tweedy and Stephens, Golden Smog have proven to be a six-headed monster of tightly wound guitar riffs, memorable melodies and jubilant group choruses throughout their intermittent existence.
Trading instruments and lead vocal duties throughout the night, it was clear that the Smoggers had had little pre-game practice and Tweedy repeatedly looked to his bandmates for cues during his bass-playing moments. What the band lacked in precision, however, they more than made up for in good cheer and exuberance. Louris’ muscular lead guitar work (he could play well blindfolded and drunk if need be) kept the band relatively on task throughout the night, even as its membership swelled with occassional guest spots from violinist Jessy Greene, ex-Son Volt bassist Jim Boquist and some cameo singing by the birthday girl herself.
The band’s stabs at original material from their two albums (’96’s Down by the Old Mainstream and ’98’s Weird Tales, both out on Rykdisc) still sounded as fresh as the day they were released, leaving lingering dreams of what a full-fledged studio reunion could yield. Nary a sign of rust was present despite the show being the group’s first with the full band line-up together since 2000.
Then again, when playing tunes with melodies as timeless as the Louris-led “Until You Came Along” or Dan Murphy’s blazing “To Call My Own,” one could easily understand how the Smoggers fell back into sync quickly. Given the near deafening amount of hype surrounding youngsters in tight clothes sporting pouty facial expressions as the alleged ‘new rock,’ it was almost alarming to discover that a band of rock traditionalists ranging in age from 35 to their early 50s had more verve and stage presence than about 90 percent of the young rock bands audiences are inundated with. It was particularly good to see Jeff Tweedy appear to actually enjoy being on stage again, a rare sight since Tweedy emerged for Wilco’s Summerteeth tour in 1999 with a vacant stare and limited mobility to guide his band further and further into dour art-rock territory.
Tweedy was the consummate showman, clearly aware that all eyes were upon him and living up to the expectations. His throaty, cigarette-stained Midwestern croak proved the perfect companion to Louris’ sweet tenor on duet numbers such as “Won’t Be Coming Home” and a rousing rendition of the Faces’ “Glad and Sorry” (a long-time Smog staple and the highlight of the show).
In the end, Golden Smog delivered a night emblematic of what defines the best elements of rock ‘n’ roll: adults reconnecting with their inner-adolescents and shamelessly bashing away at their guitars to revel in the sound for their own enjoyment, the combination of their individual talents gaining added magic from the musical and personal connections between each other and their rabidly devoted audience. One can only hope that the devil-may-care spirits of the Smog once again band together for sheer kicks and grant us the privilege of peeking in.
NOTE: Many thanks to Tom Sullivan and the fine folks at the 400 Bar for pulling off such a magical night and granting this writer a dream come true in the form of a highly coveted last-minute guest list hookup. Local venues don’t come much better than the 400 Bar.
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