WAND – Rhumba Cafe – 8/2 + The Empty Bottle 8/5 – CD Roadshow
To begin this review, it’s important to make our apologies for getting this review up nearly a month after the show took place. This isn’t our normal operating procedure, and folks, we feel terrible about it. Of all of the shows this summer, these two early August gems were among the best we’ve seen all year. We don’t have a worthwhile excuse, other than blaming our tardiness on our weak Citizen Dick filing system. Not only were James and his adjoining musician Brian Lowery excellent to speak/drink with, but their quick collection of crafted balladry was superb, as well. Whether he’s playing in his side project, The Jescos, or touring as Wand or Wooden Wand, James Toth is an absolutely intriguing and worthwhile show to catch. His country/soul/punk sound aptly fills the room, and hipster attendees listen to what the man’s belting out. His witty and sharp lyricism stands front and center, and for the shows at Rumba Cafe in Columbus and The Empty Bottle in Chicago, the two-man traveling sets were short and sweet in all the right ways.
If you’re a regular reader, then you’ll no doubt remember how high I am on Wand’s most recent release, Hard Knox, a collection of rarities and B-sides Toth has recorded through the years. I snagged the album immediately upon hearing “Arriving” and “Soldier Movies,” and it’s been in immensely heavy rotation ever since. I must admit, Hard Knox was my first taste of Toth’s work, and a scan of the back catalog suggests a prolific career predating his 2009 release. Born Bad was just recently released, as well, and if you’re into the full band sound, we suggest picking that one up immediately. Throughout his career, Toth’s edgy folk sound has been acclaimed and we’re glad we hopped on board this year. As a literature teacher, I’m immediately drawn to how intelligent Toth is lyrically, and his semi-narrative pieces swing through a myriad of shadowy topics. He splices symbolically driven words with epithets of dark wisdom, and even in an intimate and quick live set, everything transfers beautifully.
Columbus Show @ Rumba Cafe
Rumba Cafe is located just off the beaten path in our state’s capital of Columbus. It’s a smaller venue but that doesn’t stop some big name indie acts from popping in for a show during tour routes. There’s an eclectic decor, with an oddball mix of spanish inspired artwork and traditional English pub woodwork. Cafe tables nestle tightly up against the lengthy bar that runs from the entrance to back of the establishment and a tiny stage sits in the corner with a couple dimly lit stage lights overhead. The obligatory strands of Christmas lights are loosely strung behind the performers and, for at least this show, the entire bar is dark as hell and sobering when the acts start to play. In one sense, this was perfect for Toth’s set, but conversely, it made for horrible photo conditions. The pre-show festivities were a mixture of ups and downs. The tone was set early when I had forgotten my driver’s license back in Cleveland, and although I have a full beard, was on the guest list, and was bantering back and forth with Toth and Lowery, I couldn’t snag a single beer out of the rigid Rumba staff. Although I was relegated to strong espresso coffee for the night, I was able to chat a little with James before the opener began playing. At the time of the show, they were midway through the tour and had just driven fifteen hours to arrive in Columbus an hour before the show’s start. He looked tired but was completely affable and stoked to play for the small crowd. Later stops with bands like Akron/Family and at more esteemed venues like The Empty Bottle were no doubt boons on the future calendar, but Toth treated this tiny cafe as if it were the Metrodome, and it’s always great to meet a gracious musician who just likes to perform. Meeting Toth confirmed my expectations; he’s wickedly smart and well traveled. He knows music, and even more importantly, he knows how to play a live show.
Toth and bandmate Brian Lowery didn’t have a huge blistering set for us, but the ten or eleven songs they did play were quietly entrancing for the crowd. Two small amplifiers, one electric guitar and one steel slide guitar was all the two needed to get gutsy for a few tunes. They began the show with “Saturday Delivery,” one of my favorite Hard Knox tracks, and while I’m uncertain if the stone quiet crowd had ever heard it, they certainly dug it. I have to confess that I’m a sing-along kind of guy, and because of how quiet everyone was, I had to tone it down a notch. I’ve posted this track below if you haven’t heard it yet. It’s completely kick-ass live. Toth has a muted confidence and swagger on stage, and if you’re an indie fan, you know that some folks hop up on stage with a basket of taut nervousness. Toth fires off at the opposite end of that spectrum. He’s ready to play and “seasoned pro” is an apt descriptor. As the two moved through Dylan covers and some Jescos material (Brian Lowery is also a member of that project), it was easy to become engrossed. Tracks that were unfamiliar to me, like “Heartbroken Haywire” and “Eagle Claw” became intimate favorites within three minutes of the first guitar strum. Thought-provoking lyricism and witty conversational banter between tracks made this two hour drive down from Cleveland a pleasant diversion for the middle of the week. In true folk fashion, Toth tells stories in between songs and creates a personal connection with the audience. It’s a nice contrast to some of the more brooding content in the music and only serves to point to his versatility. Pairing his recorded material with the live show really begs us to wonder why he hasn’t received more press than he has. He’s a musician and poet and writes gorgeous songs. The 45 minute quickie in Columbus was well worth my time, and if you’ve got a chance to see Toth, Wand, The Jescos, or in whatever particular capacity is available, you won’t be disappointed.
Chicago Show @ Empty Bottle
As far as the Chicago show goes, things were similarly low-key on a Wednesday night at The Empty Bottle. I must admit that I was feeling a bit lazy on this particular evening and decided to skip out on the opening acts. I realize that is poor concert etiquette, and not a practice that I typically engage in, but it was a Wednesday after all. After checking ahead to find that WAND was hitting the stage at 11:30pm, I downed a few beers at the casa and made the short walk to the venue a few minutes past 11. Upon arriving, the hoard of pseudo hipsters standing around outside smoking their hand-rolled cigarettes let me know that I had gotten there just in time for Mr. Toth’s set. Unlike Kevin I had the foresight to bring a state issued ID along with me, so after checking my name off the guest list I headed straight to the bar for my usual $2 bottle of PBR. The scene was decidedly mellow for an Empty Bottle show, even one on a Wednesday just shy of midnight. Even with the smokers back inside, the crowd was sparse and, for the most part, kept a safe distance from the front of the stage. There were undoubtedly more folks here than in Columbus, but for the normally raucous venue the energy in the air was decidedly mellow. While everyone was attentive as Toth took the stage, it was fairly evident that the weird rockabilly guy in the straw hat was the only person besides me who was ready to crowd close and sing along.
Upon taking the stage, Toth picked up his guitar and settled into a stool on the right of the stage before setting the tone of the evening with some witty banter about his love for Chicago and Black Flag tattoos. The banter is something that would continue throughout the night, showing that Toth is one of those rare musicians with an innate ability to connect with his audience on a personal level without seeming contrived or cheesy. As in Columbus, the set opened with “Saturday Delivery,” followed by a new song that I was unfamiliar with and an oldie from way back, “Wand Arrives.” At this point, three songs in, Brian Lowery made his way to the stage to contribute his skills on the slide guitar to the set. The duo worked their way through a few favorites, including “Born Bad” and the intense “Arriving.” Lowery then took the vocal reigns, playing one of his own songs, “Catch You,” with Toth looking on in approval. From there the set wound down with a Dylan cover and what should have been the closer, “Eagle Claw.” By this point in the night WAND had managed to win over the vast majority of the previously subdued crown, eventually giving in to the chants for an encore. The encore ended up being a new track that the duo has been working on for an upcoming Jescos record, the retro ballad “Stones or Beatles.” The song’s narrative voice states that loving his woman is easy, unlike trying to choose between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. After the set I had a brief chat with Toth and made a point to ask him about that particular song, and if that was really a tough decision for him. His reply? “Shit no, Stones all the way!” Personally I couldn’t agree more, and that’s just another reason why I love WAND and you should, too.
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