The Low Anthem, Raining Jane, Lucy Schwartz: Opening Night of ‘The House’, Salt Lake City, 25 Jan 2011, by Mike Hughes

It’s a gig Jim, but not as we know it….

Visiting Brits, more used to gigs in student halls or the back rooms of London pubs, we happened to pitch up in Salt Lake City at the same time as the opening night of new music venue The House (http://thehouse.org). It’s situated discreetly in what looks to be part of the buildings of the railway depot. I’m still so naive about America, there’s a Union Pacific sign over the place but I don’t think it’s actually the railway station; what did they move, the building, the railway lines or just the sign? What a stunning job they’ve done on this place. It is genuinely put together with love for music lovers by music lovers (yes that’s three lots of love). It’s all very un-English; no discernible security muscle for a start. I’m sure they lurked, just not in a silk jacket and crew cut sort of way. There were instead charming young ladies with iPads registering you for charitable donations, and as it was otherwise a free gig that seemed fair enough. Once inside, there was half a hectare of polished concrete and wood, help yourself stacks of fruit and bags of popcorn. And one more thing. Sofas. 35 plush red four seater settees arrayed in front of the stage, seven sofas across by five deep. Those arriving later had to make do with mere chairs. Felicity and I however were comfortably ensconced, and such luxury was almost astounding. The whole thing, sound system included, kicked ass. I hate to think how much money has gone into the place, someone believes in live music in a big way.

Tonight’s first act were The Low Anthem. They were the principal draw for me, in truth the only band I had any prior knowledge of. I don’t know if they were an ‘opening act’ in the usual bottom of the listing manner or if it was just a schedule driven thing. They were advertised to be on at 6.30pm prompt and were possibly two minutes late getting started. It turned out they had a plane to catch at 9pm, so we’ll forgive them this almost mid afternoon and fanatically punctual start. It’s the first time I’d seen them live so I don’t know if they are always this serious, but tonight there was an intensity that could have almost have been mistaken for fear, so solemn were their faces. By a huge distance they were the least showbiz and most introspective of tonight’s three bands. They brought with them a pool of quietude, and I have to question whether 100 people spread out on sofas was actually working for them to best effect, or if they might have been ten times happier in, dare I say it, the back room of a pub. Again it might be my naivete but they felt like the essence of Americana, on the creaking, wheezing, pedal-organ side of country music. It’s territory well known to bands like Castanets, especially when the saw comes out. Having said that, they played it fairly straight, Ben Knox Miller singing country blues tales of 1949 in a Dylan-ish rasp, while Jocie Adams looked like a 12 year old dwarfed by her Fender bass.

A strong contender for most notable track was ‘Apothecary Love’. It will be on their new album due in February but is out already as a single. However all was eclipsed in the closing moments of the last song of the set ‘This God Damn House’. Ben got out his cell phone and I was just about to get all huffy about people texting on stage when I realised that in fact he had two phones and was doing something much better than checking his mail. He warbled a whistled bird song which he somehow caught as feedback between the phones and the mic, captured for a few moments and then allowed to flutter away. It was an almost indescribably magical end to a sombre and compelling set.

By contrast, all female band Raining Jane strode onto stage and announced that they were “going to folk rock your faces off”. I’m sticking my neck out here, I’m out of my comfort zone, but if I had to describe them to the folks back home, it would be ‘try and imagine the Dixie Chicks force fed some indie sensibility’. Or is that just alt / folk / rock that I’m after? Anyhow, they were huge value and immense fun. Generally, and if they won’t hate me for this, the lyrics and content were upbeat and perky. However, they did a cover that took me a minute to realise was Pat Benatar’s ‘Love Is A Battlefield’. If the success of a cover is making a song 100% your own, this hit home with a vengeance, coming off with a portentous celtic drone last heard on Loreena McKennitt’s ‘Mummers’ Dance’. The perkier end of business was typified by what I think is a new song ‘In a World That’s Made for Me and You’, and my absolute favourite was ‘Wyoming Sky’. It’s a self referential legacy of their 11 years on the road, and has the emotional pull to adequately reflect that, in fact it’ll half make you cry in longing for some simpler life that never existed.

Although there was promise of local talent late into the night, the billed headliner was Lucy Schwartz. She was very much at the most ‘pop’ end of tonight’s spectrum, the one that in 5 years will either by forgotten or famous. She is something of a prodigy, being now only 20 and having been in the spotlight for a good couple of years with songs such as ‘Puzzle Pieces’ featured on Grey’s Anatomy. In fact Lucy seems to be much in favour as background music for any of those awful medical dramas, whereas she assured us that real surgeons listen to rap. I don’t know why but I’m reassured by that. It’s maybe no surprise that Lucy had an early push, her bass player is her dad, David Schwartz, well known as a TV music composer. If you ever used to watch Northern Exposure you will have hummed his work, and he gave his daughter’s voice some exposure on ‘Arrested Development’. That’s enough of the showbiz bio. Lucy was in classic singer song-writer mode, although by no means solo, in fact she had half of Raining Jane as her backing band. Musically she’s not a million miles from performers like ‘A Fine Frenzy. She has a striking voice, almost strident.

Of the three performances, the ones I might whimsically have play a party for me were Raining Jane, they were brilliant fun and value, whereas the ones I will definitely go and see again will be The Low Anthem. They have me intrigued and ensnared.

Between there the other SLC venue we got to during the week (Kilby Court) it’s left me convinced that in my fantasy life, when I’ve won the lottery, Salt Lake would be a decent place to have a second home, safely assured that there are people there who are convinced enough by live music to do something hugely positive about it.

– Mike Hughes is the writer, photographer and host of Catshoegazing, a lively, intelligent and discerning music blog.