like a smokey bar and PBR

thats how well Kevin Divine and Manchester Orchestra go together.

Friday night i trekked down to Richmond's Canal Club to see Manchester Orchestra, who i have admired for about two years now. the club was great in ambiance and size, in a small old warehouse under the freeway, but was smokey like Detroit bars. DC's smoking band has spoiled me. Kevin Divine played as well, making the trip a must. i was giddy on my way to Fredricksburg to meet up with my accomplices.

we arrived in Richmond at 8:30 or so, half an hour after the doors were to open and Dead Confederate were in the middle of their set. i was a bit surprised as i thought another band was playing first. oh well, we still caught 6 or so of their tunes. i have to say that i did like them. i was only familiar with a couple tracks going in, and i think its safe to say ill be getting to know those guys better. since i know you rely on me for timely and accurate reviews of bands and why or why not to listen to them, i will tell you that they sound like Skynard crossed with Trail of Dead. in a good way. its southern rock like Skynard brought up to date with punk and melodic hardcore all really brought together by one helluva drummer.

Kevin Divine is a guy i think i should be more into. i have not heard anything that i have disliked, but moreover, i really like a lot of what i have heard. and no one has made a name for themselves by being adequate. hes definitely more than adequate. hes quite good. and maybe its because of the soulful way he presents most songs, and maybe its the couple whiskey drinks i had imbibed at this point, but his set more struck me based on the overall feeling rather than just the songs and lyrics. the visuals became as important as the sounds. standing to one side of the stage, watching him sing his songs with the stage lights behind him, silhouetting him with a colorful glow. his hair and beard, both just short enough not to be a liability in a fight, glowed with the green stage lights as he sang about the world he saw. anyway, despite my lack of description of the musical aspect, it was quite good. the music and booze lulled me into a kind of stupor in which i was observing minutia like the moon through the skylight and the green glow around Mr Divine. but it was, trust me, a good show. if you like Conor Oberst or Brendan Benson, youd like Kevin Divine.

by the time Andy Hull and company took the stage i had a nice buzz going but had managed to shake off the stupor i had during Kevin's set. they started by playing a number of songs from their upcoming album, which i am happy to report is coming out early in the spring time. i enjoyed the songs quite a bit, thought, if you are familiar with early, more rough Manchester, it took on that feel a bit. im unsure as to why, but they lacked the more polished sound of 'Like a Virgin Losing a Child.' i do have a history of finding myself disliking band who cannot live up to their recordings live. but Manchester doesnt fall into that category. the energy more than makes up for the rough aspect, and the older songs from Virgin were great and had the raw edges that make their songs so powerful. Golden Ticket was pretty much amazing to witness live.

in the end Andy and company put on an excellent show that made me marvel again that the kid is barely old enough to drink. the highlights came toward the end of the show as Andy sand solo a song for 50cent. it went something like 'its been two weeks since you gave me your numbers and after 17 calls im still waiting for you to call back.' i love an artist who can make fun of himself and others. it was hilarious. then during the encore, Kevin came back on stage for a rendition of the theme for the Fresh Prince. again, it was rather funny and awesome, and strangely beautiful.

i cant wait to get my hands on MO's new LP and collecting some of KD's various records. it was definitely worth driving 2 hours from DC and 13$ for the show, but guys, next time would it kill you to stop in DC? had it not been Friday, this show might not have happened. and i am oh so glad it did.