Last night some friends of mine came in from Vegas for a live show. The show was at Spaceland, a joint I hadn’t been to in a while. The artist in question is Jason Falkner. I’ve got both of his albums and he’s been in some other bands that I really liked. Thus it was cool that they wanted me to go. Off we went.
The opening band 3’s and 9’s – at least I think that’s who they were, were really damn good in a very quirky way. Which was to be expected for Jason’s crowd. Unfortunately they played to a nearly empty hall. I will feature their music here on the blog sometime in the future as I met their whole band, Christian, Leon, Jake and Tasha. Great songs, great presence. I’m sure they’ll do well. Especially considering that the leader, Jake, is already signed to Sony for a publishing deal.
The second band of the night was so unmemorable that I can’t remember their name. They had no stage presence. The music was boring as all hell and to top it off, even the band leader was saying “I know you’re here to see Jason, but you’ll have to put up with us first.” Not exactly a good thing to tell an audience.
Then came Jason. Guns a blazing with a full band. I had seen Jason once before playing solo opening for Alanis and it was less than good. However, last night – extremely different. Jason is meant to play with a full band. His songs can only translate live with a band – they don’t do well solo. Thus you really need to see Jason with a whole band – in that setting, he is amazing. Full on rock out explosion. His voice was stellar and the band was super tight. The drummer was Eric Skodis from Imperial Drag, so that was cool too.
Because of the adventure last night I need to run with a song by Jason that he didn’t play. Only because it’s in 5 and has a cool vibe. It’s called All God’s Creatures and it’s playing right now if you’re on Single of the Day. It’s a sly groove and I really dig how it moves without feeling like an odd time.
One thing that my friends and I chatted about last night is why Jason didn’t hit it bigger. They couldn’t understand it and even said his music is amazing. Yes, it is. However, it’s too heady and it’s also not mainstream. It’s different. It’s original. It’s melodic but not commercial. It’s got repetition, but constantly evolves. Stuff that really gives most musicians a boner to love it. I know I do. However, I also understand why it won’t hit mainstream. It lacks the kind of ease that most people can connect with. Especially with the lyrics. He’s likely too smart for his own good. I ought to know. I’ve been accused of it as well.
If you’re diggin this, you need to explore both of his albums. They contain tons of great music.