Now It's On

Album Review: Jason Lytle "Yankee Dirtbag: Australian Tour 2012"

With the surprise announcement of a reunited Grandaddy headlining a night at the End Of the Road Festival in the UK in September, and the potential of a small run of additional shows for the indie rock favorites, 2012 is shaping up to be a busy year for Jason Lytle. He is also slated to release his second solo album since disbanding Grandaddy with "Department Of Disappearance" scheduled for a spring/summer release on Anti- Records. Hopefully that will be followed by some shows to help promote one of my most anticipated albums of the year. 

Lytle just finished up a low key trek through Australia in February, sight-seeing and playing some shows along the way. To help commemorate the tour, he recorded this little CD, pressed in a very limited quantity, to sell while on the tour and it has instantly become one of the rarest items for Grandaddy/Lytle collectors to obtain. "Yankee Dirtbag" was recorded completely live in-studio and features six songs, along with hilarious in between song banter between Lytle and his buddy Bob as they attempt to get in as much Australian slang as possible during their conversation.

The first track on the CD will pleasantly surprise long time Grandaddy fans as he pulls out "Why Glider Pilot?" for an acoustic guitar version. Although this song has circulated amongst fans for some time, it was never officially released. Lytle jokes after the performance that Bob, who requested he play it, is "trying to be one of those mega-fans with like the obscure request that only three other people in the whole audience know of." Lytle then heads to the piano for a gorgeous rendition of "Yeah Is What We Had" from Grandaddy's brilliant 2003 release "Sumday". Stripping the song of its heavy guitar, electronics and drums reveals a tender piano ballad and it may just be my favorite performance on here.

Lytle moves to his pump organ for the next two songs, a cover of Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings" and Grandaddy's "So You'll Aim Toward The Sky". He mentions his pump organ is pink but "I don't like to introduce it to people as my pink pump organ because that sounds disgusting."   

The CD closes out with a preview of the forthcoming new album as two new songs are performed. "Your Final Setting Sun" is set to be another in a long line of epic Lytle ballads, this one about the end of someone's life. Here it is performed on electric guitar with a looped sample that plays in parts throughout the song. The studio version is said to be as grandiose and majestic as anything he has done. Lytle jokes while introducing the song, "By the time I make it to Australia and I sell the CD at the merchandise table, you guys can take great satisfaction in knowing that it's not released in America yet. Possibly not ever, yeah I might end up dying in a plane crash back home from Australia and this will be the only time it's ever been heard by anybody on any continent! Anywhere! Wouldn't that be a corker?" Below is a video of Lytle performing the song in Portland from January of this year.

The final song performed is the title track, "Department Of Disappearance", played on piano. Once again, Lytle has written a heart achingly beautiful melody and lyric, one of many reasons he continues to be my favorite songwriter. It's tough to be objective when someone writes music you can so easily relate to. 'You'll never get away with this, you'll never get away with me/ I'll crawl into the mountains, I'll fall into obscurity/ a phantom on the landscape, a memory of what used to be' he sings as he seems to touch on feelings of disgust with the music business expressed in the wake of Grandaddy's split and his move from Modesto, California. My interpretation may be off, but it seems to sum up Lytle's refreshed state of mind since moving to Montana. Anytime things get too overwhelming and he's not having fun with music, he can easily fade into the surroundings he loves so much.

Much like the "Music Meant To Accompany The Art Of Ron Cameron" CD from 2010, this is another fun limited release for fans until the next proper album comes out. Unfortunately, only a couple hundred were pressed and they sold out on the tour, so obtaining a copy will be next to impossible unless some pop up on Ebay for sale. And I imagine if they do, they'll be pricey, but worth it to avid Grandaddy/Lytle collectors. He has always been incredibly generous with his music, allowing concerts and studio tapes to be shared on his website, so don't be surprised if some type of download is eventually offered. Keep your eyes peeled on the Talkscape message board and Lytle's official site, you never know what kind of goodies may show up.       

Concert Review: Admiral Radley - Schuba's Tavern, Chicago, Illinois 8/13/10

As soon as I heard Admiral Radley (aka Earlimart and two key members of Grandaddy) would be touring behind their debut release "I Heart California", I made plans for a road trip of some kind. I wasn't counting on a Michigan stop, but figured they'd hit a state close enough to travel to. There was no way I was missing this once in a lifetime chance to see two of my favorite bands combined into a new favorite band. So as soon as the Chicago date (originally slated to be at Lincoln Hall but moved to it's sister venue, Schuba's Tavern) was announced, tickets were bought and the travel plan was put together.

I'll be honest, I absolutely abhor the traffic in Chicago. More than once I've traveled there and sworn I will never return, only to have another "must see" band schedule a show there as the closest stop on their tour. I last made the trek to Chicago for another Grandaddy-related show, Jason Lytle's solo tour behind their last album "Just Like The Fambly Cat", which also took place at Schuba's. I was glad to see the AdRad show moved here, as it is a fantastic, and intimate, venue.

When we got inside Schuba's (after battling the downpour outside) there was a short wait before the doors were opened to the area where the concerts are held. Immediately, I noticed I didn't see any of AdRad's gear and remembered they had already experienced problems with "Vanna White", their white Econoline van, earlier on the tour. Sure enough, my brother checked Twitter on his phone and the band had posted the van broke down (complete with picture of it on a tow truck), but they were going to make it to Chicago one way or another. Right around 10PM, the side door right by where we were sitting popped open, in walked drummer Aaron Burtch with some equipment, and the rest of the band started making their way in, unloading their gear. 

After all of Admiral Radley's equipment was in the building, opening act Hooray For Earth took to the stage. The New York based four piece got a decent response to their noisy, guitar and synth heavy version of pop/rock music. Although nothing that blew me away, their musicianship was strong, particularly impressive was drummer Joseph Ciampini.  

It was then time for AdRad to set up and, with the late arrival, the band would be performing this night without a proper soundcheck. Ariana Murray was stage left on keyboards and bass, Aaron Espinoza was center stage on guitar, bass and triggering loops and samples and Jason Lytle was to the right in front of his AdRad decorated keyboard, and also on guitar. Aaron Burtch was at the back on the drums behind Espinoza. Once everything was set up and they had tested their instruments, Espinoza thanked everyone for coming out and waiting and the show was ready to begin.

Things kicked off with the Espinoza-led dreamy pop of "Ghosts Of Syllables". This was the only performance that showed the signs of a lack of soundcheck as bursts of loud feedback marred the early part of the song. But adjustments were made and the night was flawless from there. With Espinoza, Lytle and Murray all handling vocals on the album, the setlist was broken out in a way to alternate the lead vocals around the stage, so it truly stayed a "band" concert, not too heavy on any one singer.

The title track to their album "I Heart California", featuring Lytle on lead vocals, was up second before the first of many funny moments of banter from the stage. Espinoza and Lytle recapped their van troubles earlier in the day, culminating with a breakdown in Baldwin, Wisconsin. Espinoza asked if anyone in the audience was from Wisconsin and when someone shouted he replied jokingly, "Baldwin, Wisconsin. What a shit hole." The two then explained what they deemed was a 'racket', with the bar they ended up hanging out and getting drunk in being right next to the repair shop. They knew they were at the mercy of the mechanics and likely overpaid for the repairs. This was just the first of many funny moments from the stage. Some bands could have been in a rotten mood after a day like they had, but the members of Admiral Radley couldn't have been in better moods and that vibe took over the whole room.

Lytle's lovely "GNDN" was next before Espinoza took the lead back over for "Ending Of Me", but not before he poked fun at his choice of shirt for the show, saying he had to reach way back into his wardrobe for this one. Much like on the album, the lone track that features Ariana Murray on lead vocals was a highlight. "The Thread" came across as beautiful live as it is on the CD.

Album Review: Jason Lytle "Music Meant To Accompany The Art Of Ron Cameron"

First things first, per the request of the artist. This is not Jason Lytle's "new album", but it is a new album by Jason Lytle. Best to let him describe it per his website:

"Here is this new CD. It's not a proper "full length album" that will be promoted , toured, talked about, or even acknowledged as "interesting " by me.
So far......I have been describing it to my friends as " a bunch of shit".....or "a reason to clean up my desktop"......or....."something that better not be called my next fucking album because I really dont know if I like any of it".

Point taken. For long time fans of Grandaddy, this release is akin to their hard to find release "The Windfall Varietal". Some leftovers, some unreleased material, some unfinished ideas and some fooling around in the studio. It was all done to accompany an art show put on by Lytle's childhood friend Ron Cameron. A very limited number were pressed, Lytle is gracious enough to share it with his fans and once they're gone, they're gone.

So all of this needs to be taken into consideration when "reviewing" this release. Yet, even when he is putting out a "bunch of shit" as he calls it, Lytle still packs it full of enough interesting moments to satisfy fans and curiosity seekers. The CD opens with "Waiting For My Phone To Dry", a slow instrumental with strummed acoustic guitar over a basic drum pattern, bassline and keyboard effects that is revisited in the middle of the album as "My Phone is Still Wet", and at the end as "Still Waiting For My Phone To Dry". It's a lovely, atmospheric piece, very reminiscent of some of the slower stuff on last year's solo debut "Yours Truly, The Commuter". There are a couple other instrumental pieces on here, including "Dismantle/Rebuild", which uses the piano melody from "I am Lost (And The Moment Cannot Last)" off of 'Commuter'.

The vocal material is even more interesting. The gem here is "At The Mall At Klamath Falls", an unreleased Grandaddy song from 2000. The song has been circulating amongst collectors but it is nice to see it get an official, albeit limited, release in perfect quality. The lyric is a great, twisted look at a typical, mundane mall in Anywhere, USA with different breeds of dogs filling in for the type of people who frequent such places. Musically the song fits in well with many of the Grandaddy B-Sides from that time, acoustic guitar and weird keyboard sounds and effects augment Lytle's story.

Another Grandaddy B-Side that was released, the wonderful "The Town Where I'm Livin' Now", appears on this release as well. It doesn't seem to be an alternate version from what was released on the "I'm On Standby" CD single, however. What is an alternate version is a different take on the Admiral Radley track "I Heart California", here called "I Love CA (Intersection Vendor Ending)". This is a solo Lytle performance on the piano with an extended ending of electronic whirrs and noise.

"Birds Build Nests In Letters" is full of Lytle's signature, sighing "ah ah's" in the background while he has a dialogue with a robotic voice that answers his examples of boring corporate stores and restaurants with birds. Example: "M is for Macy's and McDonalds/"M is for magpie". Sound silly? Maybe, yet the beautiful melody makes the damn thing work as a lesson to look at the more beautiful things in life.

"Liquid Hyper Tweeker Energy Drinks" is a much more electronic track, with a hip hop beat and Lytle's voice drowned in echoed effects. Musically, I'd love to hear him do more tracks like this on future proper albums. He's always done his share of offbeat, sillier tracks so this song also stands out here on its own, for the music alone.

The funniest thing by far here is "Indie Rock Freestyle", a totally improvised song about "Jakeff", whose parents came up with his name by combining the names Jakob and Jeff. It's a three minute track with stream of consciousness lyrics that is freaking hilarious, yet you will not be able to stop humming the damn thing after hearing it. "D.U.I. BBQ Checkpoint" is another riot. These are the moments that endear Lytle to his fans. As much great, serious, heart wrenching, emotional music as he has produced in his career, he never takes himself too seriously with this side of his music that he shares.

As a fan and collector of any artist, these are the kind of release you love to see. Something to help quench your thirst in between "proper" releases. "Music Meant To Accompany The Art of Ron Cameron" is fun, funny, at times lovely, and a must have for fans of Grandaddy and Jason Lytle. Again, this was a very limited pressing so get it before it is gone for good.

Purchase "Music Meant To Accompany The Art Of Ron Cameron" from Jason Lytle's Online Store

Album Review: Admiral Radley "I Heart California"

Grandaddy and Earlimart have been kindred spirits for years now. From touring together, to band members appearing on each others' albums, the friendships struck between the two California based bands made it seem inevitable a full blown collaboration would happen at some point.

Jason Lytle dissolved Grandaddy in 2006 but re-emerged last year with his fine first solo album. Earlimart are coming off back-to back new album releases in 2007 and 2008, so this seems like the perfect time to reignite this long hoped for project. The original concept for this collaboration was a four song EP credited to Earlidaddy with two songs, "Red Curbs" and "I Heart California", featuring Lytle on vocals, and the other two, "Chingas In The West" and "The Ending Of Me", with Earlimart's Aaron Espinoza as the lead singer. Demos of the songs have circulated amongst collectors of the bands for years but, other than a few false release dates, the project was kept on the back burner. 

Now at long last this "super group", now named Admiral Radley (Lytle and Grandaddy's drummer Aaron Burtch along with Espinoza and his Earlimart partner Ariana Murray), is set to unleash their first release and the EP has blossomed into a full album containing those original four tracks along with seven new ones.

There are no major surprises on "I Heart California". The Earlimart sung tracks sound like Earlimart songs and the Lytle sung tracks sound like Grandaddy songs. I wasn't expecting anything less so no disappointment there. What is refreshing though is the looseness prevalent throughout the entire album. This has all the feel of a group of long time buds getting together without any grand statement or concept, and just making music for the fun of it. Both bands have tackled some heavier subject matter in the past and this simply doesn't seem the place for it. You can hear the blast they must have had recording this oozing out of many of the songs.

As much as I enjoyed Lytle's solo debut "Yours Truly, The Commuter" last year, it was a rather mellow, ballad heavy affair. So it is nice to hear him do a track like Admiral Radley's "Sunburn Kids", a crunchy rocker reminiscent of pre-"Sophtware Slump" era Grandaddy with a 'We burn!' chant in the chorus serving as a shout out to the kids "gettin' sunburns no matter what the people say" all over the world. The breakdown gives a perfect example of the playful atmosphere AdRad operates in as Lytle calls out locations such as Hawaii, China and Jamaica, while instruments from those areas play in the background. "Red Curbs" is another guitar heavy rock song from Lytle, as he looks back on his younger skateboarding days ("I miss those times/when I would ride/red curbs all night").

The title track which opens the album, and also serves as its first single, is vintage Lytle. Witty lyrics dripping with sarcasm about his home state ('drugs fall out of diaper bags as Midwesterners stare', "fake tits in the symphony") that lead into a melodic chorus to die for, with Murray doing her best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression in the background and a Grandaddy-esque keyboard loop thrown in for good measure.

Two ballads round out the Lytle contributions. "I Left U Cuz I Luft U", a song he's been performing live off and on for the last year, closes out the album. It calls to mind some of the ballads that wound up as Grandaddy B-Sides in the past, a sparse drum machine beat underneath piano and various keyboard effects. "GNDN" may be the most beautiful (and only) song ever written about Star Trek, specifically the Enterprise ("with its cardboard parts/and its lightbulb stars/it nearly fell apart/still it captured hearts"), although the song can also be viewed as a metaphor for Admiral Radley itself. "The critics would say the sounds you would make were so second-rate/ and your instruments were fake/ well of course they were fake" Lytle sings in the breakdown, before heading back into the chorus of "It goes nowhere and it does nothing". Much like the low budget Enterprise set was beloved, so too can this group of friends' new band without making some huge musical statement and sticking to what they know best.

The Earlimart songs here all sound like they'd fit on any of their recent albums, especially the ones with Espinoza on vocals. "Ghosts Of Syllables" is the highlight of the bunch, with an "ah ah ah" chorus that is impossible to forget after one listen, it's another display of pure Earlimart pop perfection. The twangy "Lonesome Co." and rocker "Ending Of Me" are also typical Espinoza gems. The repetitive "Chingas In The West" is the only real average track here.

As enjoyable as the Lytle and Espinoza tracks are, it would be easy to forget about Ariana Murray, but she makes that impossible with her contribution, "The Thread". A shuffling waltz-like ballad of exquisite beauty, Murray's heartfelt, touching lyric is proof you can do a love song without falling into sappy territory ("Will we live to 98? Watch our hair go gray/Will we go out with a bang? Will we fade away?/In other words I hope that we'll still hold hands/ and laugh about the way things end"). As great at songwriting as Lytle and Espinoza are, Murray steals the show with "The Thread".    

The sense of care free fun that permeates the album is best summed up with the hilarious electro-freakout "I'm All Fucked On Beer". Espinoza, Lytle and Murray all contribute vocals to the madness and there should be a prize awarded to the first person to guess the insane number of F-bombs dropped in the song. Anyone who takes this song seriously or tries to derive any other meaning from it clearly doesn't get the AdRad sense of humor. The song dissolves into in-studio laughter with an "oh, crimey" from Lytle as the song fades.

"I Heart California" pleasantly turned out exactly as I had hoped. All the elements that have made Grandaddy and Earlimart two of the best bands around for over a decade are here, wonderfully combined. It's as enjoyable to listen to as it sounds like it was to record, and here's hoping this becomes a project the four return to instead of a one-off. We all need some music that puts a smile on our faces. "I Heart California" puts a huge-ass grin on mine. Your mission is accomplished Admiral Radley.

"I Heart California" will be released in the U.S. July 13, 2010 on Espinoza's new label, The Ship. A special deluxe edition is available exclusively through the band's website that will contain lots of extras and goodies unavailable on the commercial release. Links are below.

Official Website of Admiral Radley

Order the Deluxe version of "I Heart California" directly from the AdRad store

Order the regular version of "I Heart California" from Amazon.com

Admiral Radley Set Release Date for Debut Album "I Heart California"

I've posted here a few times about the upcoming release from Admiral Radley, the new band made up of Jason Lytle and Aaron Burtch from Grandaddy and Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray of Earlimart. Now we have the full details on their debut album.

"I Heart California" will be released July 13, 2010 via Espinoza's new label The Ship, also the name of his recording studio. The band is also taking pre-orders for a Deluxe Edition of the album. At $100, it may seem quite pricey, but this highly limited package will include an exclusive t-shirt, a limited silkscreen poster, exclusive photos, an "AdRad" documentary movie along with the video for "I Heart California", the full CD with exclusive handmade packaging, a 180 gram vinyl LP and a digital download of the album that will include bonus tracks. Aaron Espinoza has stated there may be other exclusive goodies included as well, plus the pre-orders will ship on July 1st and the download links will be e-mailed on that same date, almost two weeks before this is released in stores.       

I posted a tracklisting a few weeks back, but a few songs have been moved around, so here is the official tracklist for Admiral Radley's "I Heart California".

1. "I Heart California"
2. "Ghosts Of Syllables"
3. "Sunburn Kids"
4. "Lonesome Co."
5. "The Thread"
6. "Red Curbs"
7. "I'm All Fucked On Beer"
8. "Ending Of Me"
9. "GNDN"
10. "Chingas In The West"
11. "I Life U Cuz I Luft U"                

Here is a free download of the first single, the infectious title track with Lytle on vocals.

Admiral Radley "The Thread"

I posted about the new Admiral Radley project a few days ago, but that was before NPR Music posted videos on You Tube of the band (minus drummer Aaron Burtch) performing at the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas during SXSW. As big a fan of Jason Lytle as I am, it's Ariana Murray of Earlimart that steals the show so far with this absolutely beautiful ballad, "The Thread". Not sure how the studio version will turn out, but this could be released as is performed here and generate more emotion than any amount of studio trickery and production could add.

This is how you do a love song without falling into sappy territory. What a heartfelt, touching lyric. Great music deserves to be shared.

Grandaddy + Earlimart = Admiral Radley

The possibility of a full fledged collaboration between the bands Grandaddy and Earlimart has been teasing fans for at least the last five years. Yes, members of Grandaddy appeared on a few tracks on Earlimart's 2003 release "Everyone Down Here", and Jim Fairchild was an unofficial member of Earlimart during their "Treble & Tremble" period. Ariana Murray also sang backing vocals on a track on Grandaddy front man Jason Lytle's solo debut last year.

Thankfully, the 'Earlidaddy' project that has floated around for some time now has blossomed from a four song EP into a full length album and a new band. Grandaddy mastermind Jason Lytle and drummer Aaron Burtch have teamed up with Earlimart's Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray to form Admiral Radley.

The original concept for this collaboration was a four song EP credited to Earlidaddy with two songs, "Red Curbs" and "I Heart California", featuring Lytle on vocals, and the other two, "Chingas In The West" and "The Ending Of Me", with Espinoza as the lead singer. Demos of the songs have circulated amongst collectors of the bands for years but, other than a few false release dates, the project was kept on the back burner.

In February of this year, Lytle posted a link to the Admiral Radley website on his message board and details started to come forth about this exciting project. Ad Rad made their live debut March 17 in Dallas just before heading to SXSW for a number of performances. Below are a few videos from their first ever set, opening for The Low Anthem at the Granada Theater. The first is "Sunburn Kids", very reminiscent of some of Grandaddy's earlier, harder rocking material. As much as I loved Lytle's beautiful "Yours Truly, The Commuter" last year, it is nice to hear him do a track like this again. The last two videos feature Espinoza on vocals performing "Ghosts Of Syllables" and "The Ending Of Me".

No word on a release date or label for the album yet, but that should be revealed fairly soon. The tracklist for the album appears to be as follows:

1. "Lonesome Co."
2. "The Ending Of Me"
3. "Chingas In The West"
4. "Red Curbs"
5. "Sunburn Kids"
6. "I'm All Fucked On Beer"
7. "The Thread"
8. "I Left U Cuz I Luft U"
9. "Ghosts Of Syllables"
10. "GNDN"
11. "I Heart California"

To help whet your appetite for this release, here is the track "I Heart California". This is classic Jason Lytle. Great, witty lyrics and a melody and chorus to die for. Been a favorite of mine for years and glad this song is finally officially coming out. Definitely one of my most anticipated releases for the rest of 2010.

I Heart California

Visit the official website of Admiral Radley

Follow Admiral Radley on Twitter for all the latest Ad Rad updates

 

Concert Review: Jason Lytle - The Crofoot Ballroom, Pontiac, Michigan 7/22/09

Within two weeks, I got to see quite a contrast in concert going experiences. Exactly two weeks before, I attended Jason Lytle's headlining show at the Basement in Columbus, Ohio. Although a small venue, everyone was there to see Lytle, knew most of the material and was really into his set.

Last night, Lytle returned to the Detroit area, opening for label mate Neko Case at the beautiful Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac. In this instance, he seemed to be playing to a room of people largely unfamiliar with his work, both solo and with his former band Grandaddy. The crowd was appreciative and seemed to give him and his band a good reception, but it's such a different experience seeing your favorite artist open a show. You almost feel like you're the only one there who even knows their music or who they are. It didn't ruin my enjoyment of his fantastic, but much too short set by any means, it was just a much more subdued evening than the show in Columbus.

I knew going in the setlist would be trimmed down considerably from the headline show. The question was which songs would be cut. In Columbus, he played for nearly 80 minutes covering 15 songs in a mix of solo material and Grandaddy classics and obscurities. I figured they would shed about 30 minutes off his opening set and was about spot on as he played for about 45 minutes, performing nine songs.

In keeping with Case's more laid back, alt-country material, it seems some of Lytle's more rock oriented and upbeat songs were the victims as Grandaddy classics such as "Chartsengrafs", "Stray Dog And the Chocolate Shake", "Jed's Other Poem (Beautiful Ground)" and "AM 180" that were played in Columbus were sadly missing on this night. Thankfully "Levitz" was not one of the cuts as Lytle opened the show with this fan favorite and clearly one of his personal favorites from the Grandaddy days. "Levitz" was just one of three Grandaddy songs performed on this night, with the B-Sides "Our Dying Brains" and "What Can't Be Erased" being the others.

With such limited time, the focus was clearly on promoting material from his first solo CD "Yours Truly, The Commuter" (Anti-) and Lytle and his backing band of Rusty Miller, Rob Murdock and ex-Grandaddy drummer Aaron Burtch filled out the rest of the set with six tracks off the 2009 release including "Ghost of My old Dog, "Brand New Sun" and "I Am Lost (And the Moment Cannot Last)". The performance of the title track stretches the song out a bit at the opening and end from the recorded version for somewhat of an "extended version". A nice surprise was the addition of "Birds Encouraged Him" which was not performed in Columbus. They closed out their set, as they did in Ohio, with the beautiful "Rollin' Home Alone".

 

It's a shame Lytle was unable to play a headline show in the Detroit area. With so many great venues, including the Crofoot's own Pike Room, I'm sure he would have drawn a decent crowd. I think there were as many, if not more people, at his spur of the moment acoustic show at Scrummage in Detroit back in April as there were in Columbus and there was little to no promotion of that Scrummage performance. Apparently Grandaddy had more of a following in this area than I realized, though I shouldn't be surprised considering St. Andrew's Hall was pretty well packed when they headlined there in support of "Sumday" back in 2003. Regardless, his set last night was great as always, seemed to go over well with Case's fans and hopefully gained him some new fans in the process.    

SETLIST: "Levitz" / "Ghost Of My Old Dog" / "Our Dying Brains" /  "Brand New Sun" /  "Birds Encouraged Him" /  "Yours Truly, The Commuter" / "I Am Lost (And The Moment Cannot Last)" / "What Can't Be Erased" / "Rollin' Home Alone"

Concert Review: Jason Lytle - The Basement, Columbus, Ohio 7/8/09

My road trips for concerts have become a lot more infrequent the last few years compared to what they used to be, but for certain artists there are exceptions. When Jason Lytle did a small solo tour behind Grandaddy's farewell album, "Just Like The Fambly Cat", I made the drive to Chicago to see his two shows at Schuba's with Rusty Miller as they were the closest to Detroit. Having seen Grandaddy only twice in concert, it was a show I didn't want to miss and I'm certainly glad we went.

Now Lytle is back, touring behind his first solo record, "Yours Truly, the Commuter", and the same scenario presented itself. Yes, he is coming to the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac July 22nd, and I will be there, but he is opening for Neko Case so it will be a shortened set. I was also considering making the drive up to Grand Rapids, Michigan to see him open for Case there, but when he started adding a handful of headlining shows throughout this tour, I decided I had to do my best to catch one.

That opportunity presented itself as Jason played a headline show at The Basement in Columbus, Ohio. With plenty of vacation time to spare, figured I'd start the long weekend with a four hour trek to see Lytle. Just a slightly longer drive than to Grand Rapids, plus there was the bonus of the longer set since he was headlining the show. Although Jason has started to hint in recent interviews that some of the issues that made him hate touring with Grandaddy are popping up again, none of that seemed apparent last night as he and his band were in fine form and delivered a fantastic set. 

Opening the night were Columbus band Wing and Tusk. I discovered Grandaddy when they opened for Coldplay in Detroit, so since then I've always paid close attention to the openers when I go to a show. Wing and Tusk join the list of opening bands I became an instant fan of. Their beautifully melodic folk-rock went over well with the people in attendance and had me hoping for a CD to buy but alas, their first release, "The Secret Of Toadflax Tea", won't be out until August 14th. This is much more than a proper album though, it's a story that apparently will also have a silent animated film to match it, to be shown during future live performances. Lead singer/guitarist Joshua Rea's vocals somewhat reminded me of My Morning Jacket's Jim James, very intriguing voice and a very talented band. If I can get my hands on a copy of "Toadflax" (sounds like it will only be sold in Columbus for the time being), look for a review here. Hopefully some Michigan dates are in their future, a very exciting band to keep an eye on. You can sample a few of their tracks at their MySpace as well as find more information at their official website.

After an intermission it was time for the main event. Jason Lytle and his band, Rusty Miller on guitars and keyboards, Rob Murdock on bass and ex-Grandaddy drummer Aaron Burtch, took to the stage at 9:48 for an amazing set which featured plenty of Grandaddy favorites and rarer tracks as well as a nice selection from "Commuter".

They kicked it off with "Chartsengrafs" from Grandaddy's "The Sophtware Slump", and immediately the crowd was into it. As much as I enjoyed the smaller acoustic shows Lytle had been doing, there is no substitute to hearing full band versions of these songs. And to have Burtch's steady hand behind the drum kit is such a thrill for Grandaddy fans to see and hear again. One of "Commuter's" highlights, "Ghost of My Old Dog" was next followed by clearly one of Lytle's favorite Grandaddy tracks, the classic "Levitz."

"Yours Truly, the Commuter" followed, then Lytle took some time to introduce his latest addition to the stage set-up, the box of wine on the amp which he headed to for a re-fill.  This may be the first time I've ever seen an audience applaud a box of wine, a hilarious moment for sure. "Brand New Sun" from the new album was next before they went into a run of five Grandaddy tracks. After declaring he doesn't normally take requests because he's not a monkey, Lytle started on a wonderful version of the apparently requested "Saddest Vacant Lot In All The World" solo on the keyboard before the rest of the band joined in, as on the "Sumday" version. The B-side "What Can't Be Erased" was simply stunning in a re-worked, almost countri-fied version. Lytle even remarked how happy he was with how it turned out at the end. Definitely a highlight of the evening.

After the two ballads, they got the crowd dancing with the "Sumday" fan favorite "Stray Dog And The Chocolate Shake" with Miller playing the trademark keyboard part and Lytle to his side on guitar. The "Sumday"-era B-side "Derek Spears" was next with Murdock and Miller leaving the stage for a performance by Lytle and Burtch. The Grandaddy run ended with another of their great B-sides, "Our Dying Brains", before they slowed it down again with Lytle at the keyboard for the new "I Am Lost (And The Moment Cannot Last)".

They returned to "The Sophtware Slump" for a gorgeous version of "Jed's Other Poem (Beautiful Ground)" with an extended instrumental portion that could have gone on all night with its transfixing beauty. The band locked into a groove that had numerous people around me swaying with their eyes closed, lost in the beautiful music coming from the stage. It was back to the new album for "This Song Is The Mute Button" before they closed the main set with the Grandaddy classic "AM 180". Miller pulled out a small Casio keyboard for the song's signature keyboard line and fumbled it a bit at first resulting in a hilarious moment where Lytle pretended to reverse the entire beginning for a "do-over". They nailed it the second time, with the whole place dancing and singing along to the band's best known track.

The main set ended at 10:55 and after a couple minutes (and the Casio demo of Billy Joel's "Just The Way You Are" playing over the PA) the band returned. We had a Casio keyboard growing up with that same demo on it, to hear something we must have jokingly played a thousand times over a loud speaker system was quite hysterical. Lytle closed the show with another of the highlights of "Yours Truly" as the encore, "Rollin' Home Alone".

That ended things at 11:04 after about 75 minutes of great music. Obviously I imagine about 30 minutes will be shed off his opening sets for Neko Case, so this trip was worth every second and every penny for the opportunity to see a full show and to come across a great new band as well is always a bonus. Hopefully, Lytle's issues with touring will not prevent him from doing this again in the future, as he and his band never fail to put on an excellent show.  

Music You Need To Hear: Jason Lytle "Yours Truly, The Commuter" (Album Review)

Let me preface this review by stating Grandaddy was/is my favorite band and has been since not too long after I saw them open for Coldplay in 2001 at the State Theatre in Detroit. It's rare that you go to see a band you really like (at the time Coldplay were just starting to get attention in the States and I was in love with "Parachutes") but come away much more impressed and blown away by the opening act but that is exactly what Grandaddy did.The next day, I was out at the local record shop purchasing their most recent release at the time, the critically acclaimed "The Sophtware Slump," and that set me off on a collecting binge that hasn't stopped since.

It seemed Grandaddy would put a stop to my collecting themselves when it was announced in early 2006 the band was breaking up. Despite overwhelming critical response and success within the indie music world, the band never really broke through to the mainstream as was always predicted they would. Their final release, "Just Like The Fambly Cat", spelled the end.

It became clearer to the public through interviews and articles written at the time of the band's demise that Grandaddy, at least on record and in studio, had essentially become Jason Lytle. Lytle wrote and produced all of the material, as well as performed most of it on record. The band practically existed to perform Lytle's material live in the latter years. Their final two releases, the EP "Excerpts From the Diary Of Todd Zilla" and full length "Just Like The Fambly Cat", were essentially Lytle solo efforts. So the next logical step seemed to be a solo career for Lytle which is exactly what was launched in 2008. Despite the end of the band, fans rejoiced that he would be carrying on.

And carry on he does with the release of "Yours Truly, The Commuter." Lytle is not reinventing himself or his sound with this release. But this is the work of someone who sounds refreshed and rejuvenated. His move from longtime home Modesto, California to Montana can be felt throughout "Yours Truly." You can hear the difference in the music. Lytle left behind a lot of baggage and bullshit in Modesto and the move has served him well. Although "Fambly" had some stunning highlights, it also felt like the work of a man burned out on his surroundings and situation.

Lytle makes it clear where he's coming from on the first lines of the title track that opens the album. "Last thing I heard I was left for dead/well I could give two shits about what they said/I may be limpin' but I'm coming home" he declares before setting us off on an oftentimes stunningly beautiful song scape.

The first half of the album is quite varied but all retaining Lytle's signatures that made so many fall in love with Grandaddy's music. "Brand New Sun" delivers it's uplifting message amidst sunny, dreamy pop that just screams to be blasted from the car radio on a hot summer day with the windows down. The title track is another unforgettably catchy melodic pop/rock track. "Ghost of My Old Dog" is Lytle at the top of his game, musically and lyrically. Slowly building from an acoustic guitar intro to an all out rocker by the time the chorus kicks in, he reveals a significant others concern that he is thinking of another lover is simply him reminiscing about another long lost love, the "old dog" in the title.

The second half of "Yours Truly" is a journey through six ballads. In less capable hands this could drag an album down and slow it to a crawl. But as any Grandaddy die hard knows, some of Lytle's best, most personal and introspective work is his slower material. Here he starts with "Furget It", a mostly instrumental piece with the title repeated a few times at the beginning that then explodes into a lush choir of "Ah's" and lovely orchestration. The sad waltz "This Song Is The Mute Button" follows before another of the albums highlights "Rollin' Home Alone" kicks in. This will go down in Lytle's catalog as another in a long line of classic ballads. Starting with just acoustic guitar, bass and drums for the verse the song then builds to what he does best. Gorgeous, melodic backing "Ah's" over his chorus with strings and orchestration to create a grand moment. Then while all this beauty is going on here comes a fuzzed out, one note keyboard sound to play over the top for 30 seconds. A classic Grandaddy-esque moment and it works to dazzling perfection when the "Ah's" and strings kick back in. It's the kind of thing that sounds like it just shouldn't work but it simply stuns here.

"You're Too Gone" laments a relationship gone bad, "too gone" to do anything to fix it before segueing into "Flying Thru Canyons", a piano ballad accented with keyboards and effects. The two work well together with the majestic "Canyons" offsetting the sadness of the former track. The album closes on another piano ballad with a title that should make his fans happy, "Here For Good."

I'm sure there will be some wishing for a little bit more of the experimentation Grandaddy was famous for. But as Lytle has stated, he'll pull out the crazier stuff for future releases. You only get one shot at that "first solo album" and he has produced a cohesive, consistent work he should be proud of that serves as a stunning reminder of his brilliance as a songwriter and artist.   

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