Jandek live?

All these questions, musings, past show reviews, and stories were swirling in my head moments before he was to take the stage. Then the announcer came to introduce the band. The players, Emil Amos on drums, Sam Coones on bass, and Liz Harris & Jessica Dennison on additional vocals walked out to applause. Then Jandek strolled out to greater applause, completely unphased by the adoration. He was oddly deliberate as he strapped on his guitar, and plugged it into his amplifier, only intensifying the anticipation.

So, what does Jandek's music sound like?

The best answer I can offer is another question. What does insomnia sound like?

It feels slightly ill, yet one is firmly grounded. The fight to prevent the body's urge to shut itself down for the day is not sabotaged after all. There are side effects. An insomniac often finds oneself trying to put two and two together to form a coherent pattern only to have a third element come along to involuntarily derail the attempt to mentally bind the former two. Thoughts become verbal in neither a spoken nor sung voice. The brain has neither the energy to allow these words or thoughts to follow a speaking pattern nor cling to a single note without dropping down the pitch. There's a constant battle between frustration, angst, euphoria, and meditation -- all which serve to prevent oneself from realizing that "Goddamnit! I can't go to sleep! WHY??"

Jandek was in complete control over a backing band who were well trained soldiers that were seemingly sleep deprived, yet they fought hard and did their job. All Jandek had to do was turn his head slowly to the band to let them know when a song was going to end, and the song would end. Jandek, Harris, and Dennison took turns thoughout the set singing the lyrics on music stands purposely showing no emotion or drive, letting each his or her lack of struggle to hold onto a note falter.

This was a strange juxtaposition to Jandek's occasional slow paced knee strutter as he concentrated on playing jarring dissonant chords and singular notes in no set rhythm pattern. Guitar resonance was avoided as much as possible. Whenever Jandek made a "right" sound, it was clearly a mistake.

Coones and Amos were an excellent, dynamic rhythm section that provided the two elements of groove that occasionally blended, only to have Jandek turn around and fire off another round of guitar sickness to obfuscate the groove. Coones played blues-y bass lines that were the main rhythm foundation, whereas Amos followed both Coones and Jandek, erratically petting and exploding all over his drum set alternately. Harris and Dennison made for great still life vocal counterparts to Jandek's singing, all coming together on the long, loud, and disturbing song involving a repeating chorus with the lyric "You Belong To Me".

Jandek may not know or care about the early 80's days of Glenn Branca or Sonic Youth, however the louder songs of the set did bring these two artists to mind. There was no way to make other such comparisons with the slower songs. Amos got up during one such song only to lie on the floor in front of his rig as he softly tapped the front of his kick drum with his soft mallets. Amos could have been in a mild trance halfway through -- until, of course, Jandek turned around.

I wasn't sure if my amazement with the show was due to the band's ability to make me feel like I had mentally lost something I did not lose, or the fact that it took me ten minutes after the show to realize I had witnessed The Legendary Jandek as opposed to possibly one of the most unique live bands I've ever seen. Mysterious musicians are fun to talk about, but musicans who are extremely subtle masters of deliberation make one speechless.

Stoic is too flamboyant an adjective to describe Jandek. His hollow cheeks somehow symbolize/embody his aesthetics, a gaunt version of rock, rock as void. Even when Jandek and his band "rocked out," you could sense the enervation and futility of their endeavor, and for some reason this deadpan nullity resonated to your core. Never have I been so numb yet so riveted at a show.

Most of his Seattle set was a flatline, grayscale trawl that had no particular place to go, not in this lifetime, and many of the songs sounded like defeated/deflated cover versions of Syd Barrett's "Maisie" or Low at their most lethargic and drained of whatever belief system they misguidedly cling to.

With Johnny Cash dead, Jandek is the man in black. He walked off the stage without acknowledging the crowd's desultorily rapturous applause and grabbed what looked like an old-fashioned doctor's bag before vanishing.

Nice way of putting it -- you could almost say the same thing about Dylan Carlson and Earth, though aiming at different end results. (Actually what a great double bill THAT would be!)

just read that our forum hero John D is going to play keys at a Jandek show in Chapel Hill. He can tell us all about the man afterwards. (oh wait discretion) :)

Whenever Jandek made a "right" sound, it was clearly a mistake.

lol

dude finally rescheduled his new orleans show--which was supposed to be in september 2005 and obviously didn't happen--for next month. i was told he's playing with a piano-and-theremin setup. looking forward to it with more enthusiasm than i ever thought i could muster for jandek.

wow, adam can you post more details if you have them? date? thx!

don't worry i am not going to bump this thread everytime there's Jandek news, but the Chapel Hill gig's been played (obviously) and there's a review with cool photos here: http://www.indyweekblogs.com/scan/2009/02/live-jandek-a-raucous-rhythm-section-plus-exclusive-photos/

also: http://www.indyweekblogs.com/scan/2009/02/jandeks-coming-no-1-john-darnielle-on-jandek/

Yeah, don't bump this thread again because it might obscure the thread with a poll on the best song from the Billboard R&B chart in 1987.

please DO bump this thread

also, u can turn polls off in user preferences, it has vastly improved my ILM experience.

so you're missing my gene clark poll!?

wow, adam can you post more details if you have them? date? thx!

it's march 16 at the dixon hall annex at tulane. 15 bucks i think? probably worth it.

Yeah, don't bump this thread again because it might obscure the thread with a poll on the best song from the Billboard R&B chart in 1987.

hehe. i like polls though, voting, voting, voting.
if we do a best track of every Jandek album poll we'll be busy til kingdom comes.

we should at LEAST do a favorite album poll, just so i can have an internal argument between lost cause & you walk alone.

yeah how many options are allowed in polls 50+
i am rooting for You Walk Alone as well i think. (end poll)

so you're missing my gene clark poll!?

ha, no, I have ILX set to not remember me, so I see the polls until I log in to post. best of both worlds!

we should totally do a best Jandek album poll. I swear I might vote for Put Your Dream On This Planet. You Walk Alone or Blue Corpse would probably win though.

new orleans show was good but also sort of not. improvised piano plinking with theremin tones. for an hour. i would have happily paid twice what i did but i can't say i was blown away.

that said i am going to houston to see jandek again tomorrow. this time i'm told he is playing with "hip hop bass and drums" and that there will be "rapped vocals" delivered by jandek himself. so basically it's a can't-miss.

haha lol that should be good :)

new orleans show was good but also sort of not. improvised piano plinking with theremin tones. for an hour.
no vox right? i think a Jandek show should have vocals, what's the point without some of his wailing.

no vocals. eerie blue lighting. early show, no booze, no smoking, seated venue. it was on tulane's campus across the quad from a billy collins reading. the early-dusk combination of jandek fans, billy collins enthusiasts and short-shorted sorority girls was kind of great especially because i had the foresight to get tanked at the bar pre-show.

houston show is a matinee (??) so we'll see how this goes.

playing with "hip hop bass and drums" and that there will be "rapped vocals" delivered by jandek himself.

wow

How cool would it be if he turned out to be one of the most skilled rappers of all time, just mind-blowing flow and lyrical dexterity, but no one knew until this point including him.

The hip hop updates are 3 days late, right? And Jeff Porcaro is drumming in place of Alex Nielson?

In September he will play Incubate in Holland http://incubate.org/2009/act/115/Jandek

There's also a tour of Ireland coming up with David Keenan and Heather Leigh Murray in the band. People of Larne, your moment has come.

curious on that one!

Yeah, it's a strange one. First tour he's done I think, he's playing about 5 dates, most of those in fairly small towns.

its keenan playing drums isn't it...hmmmm...the trio w/ Heather and Alan Licht was cool, tho, so wld go if...

He's playing in Vienna on the 14th October too..

Jandek's doing an in-store at HMV in Belfast!

http://thehiddenreverse.blogspot.com/2009/07/tate-tower.html

Isn't that kind of a paraphrase of Eno's "honor your mistake as hidden intention"?

I passed a marquee for the Star Theater in Portland, and…he’s playing tonight.