For those with a love of great lyrics, there are some incredibly talented artists coming to Brisbane in the next few months. Two acts particularly have got this Lost Shark in a frenzy.
Jamie Hutchings live at QPF 2007
First up on Thursday July 11 is Jamie Hutchings and His Imaginary Choir at The Troubadour . Jamie Hutchings is the softly-spoken, thoughtful son of a jazz musician, bitten by the bug of rock ‘n’ roll. His life-long passion is and always has been music, the creation of music, the joy and pain of it all. And like so many great Australian artists he has never truly received the attention he so richly deserves. The songs on His Imaginary Choir are a departure from the angular, more aggressive material he is best known for, fronting indie-noise pioneers Bluebottle Kiss. This time around he is in acoustic mode, creating a record that has a pastoral, summery feel, tinged with 1960′s exotica. Lyrically, Hutchings is ahead of the pack. Take these lyrics from Slow Train to a Comfy Jail (from Come Across) for example:
and only heaven could taste as good as this
but there’s no room for our fractured fists
scrawled my name on the wall with a piece of rusty wire
and felt the night extinguish me with its cool cool fire
I spent seven years without my good wife
til I found her laundering incarcerated bed clothes
found her eyes had to censor a smile
and had to go the gods would know
and I don’t know how cold it gets
do you wanna come home?
Yes, this is a show, as anyone who caught him at Queensland Poetry Festival in 2007 would attest to, is one not to be missed.
Here’s a link to the clip for After the Flood, the lead single from the new album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2r0F9rUGxs
And for a bit of fun, here is a link to a poetry game on the Bluebottle Kiss site:
http://www.bluebottlekiss.com/poetry.html
Then when July rolls around, American folk-rock innovator Vic Chestnutt hits town with Victoria Williams. Since the late 80′s Chestnutt has been perfecting his curiously aching stream of consciousness lullabies. He sums up his uncompromising lyrical style perfectly when he says, Other people write about the bling and the booty. I write about the pus and the gnats. To me, that’s beautiful. Like Hutchings, Chestnutt is one of those artists who while never breaking into mainstream consciousness has earned the deep respect of his musical peers. He has recorded with artists as diverse as A Silver Mt. Zion, Michael Stipe (REM), Lambchop and Van Dyke Parks and had his songs covered by everyone from Madonna to the Smashing Pumpkins. Simply put, he is an extraordinary talent and this is his first ever Australian tour, so make sure you catch the magic when he plays the Troubadour on Saturday July 11.
Here’s a link to Chestnutt playing live with members of Godspeed! You Black Emperor, A Silver Mt Zion and Fugazi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVCWI0XJ3hc&feature=related
