that gum you like

Tuesday, Chris came down for some shthot David Lowery/Johnny Hickman acousticish action. Instore at Hear's Music (size=closet) was great, they signed our tickets (tickets "001" and "002"...oy). Setlist:
Big Dipper (finally realized how I should play this with Amber)
All Her Favorite Fruit (According to Lowery, "Big Dipper's counterpart"--Johnny played Harmonica on this.)
San Bernadino Boy (from Johnny's solo album--super crowd pleaser)
51-7 (brief story about concept of New Roman Times)
One Fine Day (interesting choice--arrangement definitely made a better case for the song than album version--the backporch gothic comes out a lot more).

Afterwards, off to the usual Mexican food--decided on sitdown, tried to hit Mi Nidito but it was mysteriously closed. Wound up at El Minuto--Chris got to check El Tiradito. El Minuto was a great little neighborhood Mexican place--lots of groups of friends talking and such. Great interior w/lots of lights. Good, reliable Sonoran plate food (I had carne seca...mooo tummy...). Wasted drunk crew right next to us was super annoying, but they were in Professor and Statement Phase, so harmless. Unfortunate uses of "esse" and "muy bueno" by same.

Rolled into Solar Culture about 8--opening band had just arrived. Solar Culture is a great space--long narrow gallery, walls stuffed with art, elevated stage at end of room. Sat down on some old movie theater seats and watched Creosote, who was apparently not actually Creosote, do soundcheck and promptly leave for 20 minutes, causing us great anxiety, disdain, and/or outrage. We started noticing people wandering in with six packs and brown bags and realized that the place is BYOB. Alas. Creosote eventually wandered back and whipped through their bland-to-decent-to-whydon'ttheyleave set. Kind of Howe Gelb with less creativity crossed with the Gin Blossoms with less songwriting talent. Anyway, easily forgotten, and certainly in the tradition of lackluster-to-devestatingly putrid opening bands recently.
David and Johnny opened with 4 Johnny solo tunes--something about Costco Socks which was another instant pleaser; a slower tune "about people who fall through the cracks"; wonderful version of "Whole Lotta Trouble" by previously arranged request; and finally, "Friends", a great duet with David ("That's the kind of friend you got", etc.). They then went into "All Her Favorite Fruit", following with "Big Dipper". Apparently "All Her Favorite Fruit" is set in 1944 in London and "Big Dipper" is set in the 80's in Santa Cruz. "Fruit" arrangement was even better than the in-store, more force and more harmonica. The two were in a very easygoing and chatty mood, despite recovering hangovers from drinking at the Big Fish (nonetheless, the whiskey came out towards the end...). The setlist has, of course, drifted apart at this point, but here are most if not all of the tunes:
51-7
Been Around the World
EuroTrash Girl
Might Makes Right (this is great in subdued quiet acoustic setting--more excellent harmonica work from Johnny--it was amazing how he essentially stood in for the rest of Camper)
I'm a Little Rocket Ship (with G4 assistance)
That Gum You Like is Back in Style (also with G4--David went on at some length about the conceit behind this one...lots of indecipherable code...had everyone pretty entertained--he did namecheck "Nashville" for Kennan Wynne)
Sweethearts
Duty Free (this is still worth the price of admission on for Countrysides)
Pictures of Matchstick Men (this was after the whiskey, and Johnny was ready to rip on the electric)
Take The Skinheads Bowling (I suppose we just need to accept that this is their "Galileo" or what have you--it's always great but I just can never get into it as an anthem...)
There was also a really fantastic song which we didn't know--I spent all day yesterday trying to figure out what the hell it was, to no avail. The lines I remember are "When will this shit end/I need better friends", and there was something about being drunk when the goons kicked his door down. Also some driving on the coast imagery...anyway it was a great tune and I hope to encounter it again someday.

After a short break, Johnny came back up, said that David had punched him and run down the alley, and proceeded to play "San Bernadino Boy". Still worked. Somebody then shouted out for "Dr. Bernice", which he seemed to think was a good idea, but by the time he got David back on stage, it didn't happen. Perhaps the Maker's was setting in... Anyhow, they closed with "One Fine Day", which was again good, but we couldn't help feeling a little cheated by seeing the same five songs twice in one day. Strictly personal, however--they were all great arrangements.

Thing we wanted to hear but didn't request or necessarily expect (with varying degrees of seriousness): Ain't That Strange; Nostalgia; Good Guys and Bad Guys (Casey's request...alack poor Casey...); We Eat Your Children (of course); Ain't Gonna Suck Itself (how genius would that have been)...etc. We got into a game while waiting in which we kept saying "I heard they're not even going to play (insert song title)". Let's just say everyone was a winner.

The show certainly had the effect of me pulling out all the Cracker/Camper discs, but I kept finding that what I wanted to hear was what I had heard the night before. We shall hope for a tour document, who knows. Key Lime Pie has come closest to satisfying the itch, mostly for "Sweethearts" and "All Her Favorite Fruit", which keep growing towards masterpiece status. Key Lime Pie is definitely the missing link, and somehow the most direct line to New Roman Times.

One final note: WHY THE HELL DIDN'T CHRIS GET "SONGS OF THE SALT RIVER PIMA"???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????


Adieu, compatriots de nada

jwk