Photo courtesy Spoonful Records There were no music journalists at last night's Nix Comics Fan Appreciation Show with Wreckless Eric. I didn't invite any and apparently not one was willing to put in an expense voucher to see one of the all time great pop song writers. It's OK. This show was for fans anyways. Journos who can't be bothered to keep their ears to the ground for cool stuff need not apply. I'll be glad to fill you in on what happened in absence of a newspaper article.
A lot of people have asked me how I managed to book this show to Columbus. The opportunity just happened sort of naturally. A couple of years back I sent Eric some fan mail and we struck up a semi-regular correspondence and internet friendship. (Is it fan email? or is it just still fan mail?) Anyways, Eric was looking to set up a brief tour on his way south to Memphis from his home in upstate New York. He wanted to know if there was any good place to play in Columbus on a Tuesday night. After a couple of the obvious choices for venues didn't pan out, I told him that I would just find a place to put on the show myself.
A lot of people have asked me how I managed to book this show to Columbus. The opportunity just happened sort of naturally. A couple of years back I sent Eric some fan mail and we struck up a semi-regular correspondence and internet friendship. (Is it fan email? or is it just still fan mail?) Anyways, Eric was looking to set up a brief tour on his way south to Memphis from his home in upstate New York. He wanted to know if there was any good place to play in Columbus on a Tuesday night. After a couple of the obvious choices for venues didn't pan out, I told him that I would just find a place to put on the show myself.
Blurry photo by Ken Eppstein It's always weird meeting somebody you only know through the Internet. A personality in writing is often much different than one in person. Let me tell you that it's doubly weird when it's someone whose music, art and writing you've admired for years before the pen-pal relationship started. There's just no way to know what to expect. (And from Eric's perspective, I imagine there's no way of knowing if some fan boy in Columbus is as crazy as a bag of cats or not.)
One thing I learned quickly was that Eric is that he knows what he wants in terms of his craft and isn't scared to dive into a little hard work to make things right. We met at Spoonful Records, he examined the set up that owner Brett Ruland had prepared and decided it wasn't quite right. Without fuss, he dove in, pulled the set up apart and put it back together again to his liking. Neat as a pin and in record time, I should note. Eric should post how-to videos for musicians and sound men at clubs about getting gear set up.
One thing I learned quickly was that Eric is that he knows what he wants in terms of his craft and isn't scared to dive into a little hard work to make things right. We met at Spoonful Records, he examined the set up that owner Brett Ruland had prepared and decided it wasn't quite right. Without fuss, he dove in, pulled the set up apart and put it back together again to his liking. Neat as a pin and in record time, I should note. Eric should post how-to videos for musicians and sound men at clubs about getting gear set up.
Photo by Shirley Tobias After Eric got things to his liking, we headed to Tip Top to break bread and to catch our wind before the show.
When we returned, the Spoonful was packed with the 40+ folks who purchased tickets for the show. Thanks to Ohio humidity and all of those bodies, it was sweltering inside the shop. I know a few delicate flowers left the show early, but the true fans stuck around. Or maybe sweat had just left them sticky. Regardless, they were rewarded with a great show.
More or less the show was a single set broken up into three acts. Eric opened up with songs performed on his newly amplified acoustic guitar, complete with electronic bits and pieces visibly hanging through the sound hole in true DIY fashion. (Makes sense, Eric was D-ing it Y when a lot of the audience were pre-teen.)
When we returned, the Spoonful was packed with the 40+ folks who purchased tickets for the show. Thanks to Ohio humidity and all of those bodies, it was sweltering inside the shop. I know a few delicate flowers left the show early, but the true fans stuck around. Or maybe sweat had just left them sticky. Regardless, they were rewarded with a great show.
More or less the show was a single set broken up into three acts. Eric opened up with songs performed on his newly amplified acoustic guitar, complete with electronic bits and pieces visibly hanging through the sound hole in true DIY fashion. (Makes sense, Eric was D-ing it Y when a lot of the audience were pre-teen.)
Eric swapped out his Frankenstein-ed acoustic for his (more conventionally) electric guitar while explaining to the audience that he never gives a straight answer about what model of guitar his electric is when asked. That makes me wonder if in fact the electric was a mad scientist construct as well, but I'm not sure. At any rate, being no expert on such things myself, I'll describe it as "Green." If bumps and scuffs are any indication, it's clearly a well loved instrument.
Photo by Aleks Shaulov The second part of the set was largely composed of tunes from Eric's recently reissued "Donovan of Trash" and "Le Beat Group Electrique" LPs and other post Stiff Records material. That's really some of my favorite stuff, so I was pretty happy.
The short third act would be probably be an encore at a more formal show. Eric played a couple of new songs, of which I particularly enjoyed a number titled "Sysco Trucks," and his hit "(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World."
Throughout the set, Eric alternatively scowled and smiled, throttled and coddled his guitars and yelled and cooed lyrics to the audience. It was a great example of how one man and a guitar can make for a big show. I think that those not swooned by the heat got everything they wanted out of the show. I sure did!
Copies of both Wreckless Eric LPs, as well as the Len Bright Combo rereleases were available for purchase. That was great for the rabid crowd of fans who don't often get access to these kinds of records. As cool as Spoonful, Lost Weekend, Used Kids, et, al. are, this is the kind of thing that often don't get stocked.
The short third act would be probably be an encore at a more formal show. Eric played a couple of new songs, of which I particularly enjoyed a number titled "Sysco Trucks," and his hit "(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World."
Throughout the set, Eric alternatively scowled and smiled, throttled and coddled his guitars and yelled and cooed lyrics to the audience. It was a great example of how one man and a guitar can make for a big show. I think that those not swooned by the heat got everything they wanted out of the show. I sure did!
Copies of both Wreckless Eric LPs, as well as the Len Bright Combo rereleases were available for purchase. That was great for the rabid crowd of fans who don't often get access to these kinds of records. As cool as Spoonful, Lost Weekend, Used Kids, et, al. are, this is the kind of thing that often don't get stocked.
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