The Clientele @ Abbey Pub – 8/30/06

The Clientele w/ Great Lakes and Canasta @ Abbey Pub – 8/30/06

Well this one is a tad overdue. My mind has been spinning at 100 mph lately, but I’ve got a spare moment to share the details of this show with you now. Canasta opened the night and made clear from the start that they are from Chicago. Imagine the worn-down, lonesome city streets in October, and you’ve got a backdrop for their sound. The vocalist is a male counterpart to Natalie Merchant, often singing in lower ranges than he’s probably capable of reaching. Their line-up included two keyboards and a violin, and the singer even puffed on a trombone during one song. The song structures were a bit static at times, but they flourished towards the end of songs when they let loose and pumped up the volume. Essentially, they turned basic pop rock into swirling craziness with edgy, rumbling drums, distorted keyboard, and an occasional five part harmony. It was pleasing, to say the least.

The touring opener was Great Lakes, a band who combines Tom Petty’s country rock, Ted Leo’s indie rock, and Everclear’s alternative. Their music often lacked dimension, and their creative shortcomings weren’t helped by poor guitar tone and mediocre vocals. I don’t mean to say that they were terrible. It’s just that their music bore no relation to the Great Lakes that I grew up near. They were blessed with the presence of The Clientele’s new member, Mel Draisey, on violin. Reading that they were spawned from the well respected Elefant 6 collective will inspire me to look into their studio recordings, but the initial live experience was not amazing.

The Clientele more or less lived up to my expectations. They had an acoustic guitarist on stage for this show only, and their new member Mel rotated between violin and piano. Watching them play, I realized what an insulated pocket they’ve created for themselves, while still keeping room to grow. At the beginning of their set they all looked forlorn, like they had all just been dumped an hour before the show. The singer apologized for using up all his witty banter in Minneapolis the night before. Although, as she show went on and the crowd warmly embraced them, the band blossomed like a flower on a sunny English countryside day. What hit me the hardest was Mel, an alarmingly beautiful Cate Blanchett look-alike with ivory skin and wavy blond hair. I was completely mesmerized by her presence. My brother David spoke with the band the following night in Detroit and discovered that she had connected with the Clientele through MySpace. So it is good for something! A few new songs were a pleasant surprise, since the band will be recording a new full length album this month. Their MySpace page says to expect something a little “funkier.” As long as that funk has something to do with Ms. Draisey, this band can count on me as a primary supporter for some time to come.