It's fitting that more than a few Doug Martsch-penned lyrics are about dreams, because this particular Built To Spill show still feels like a vivid one. On a hot early-August evening on the hook of Cape Cod, after a dark drive down a Lost Highway-lit road, I was directed down a dirt-covered driveway for my first-ever look at the Wellfleet Beachcomber - a glorified summer shack that was very sold out at just 400 sweaty souls. The place was hoppin', the parking lot totally packed, the secluded scene something out of a late-night-beach-party flick.
When the show first appeared on the Beachcomber's summer schedule, being there was a no-brainer. I'd seen Built To Spill plenty of times, but never in a place so intimate. I'd make a getaway out of it, book a couple mid-week nights at an area motel, grab some precious family and beach time. So after a relaxing evening filling up on seafood with friends, I headed solo to the 'Comah, but wouldn't feel alone - ended up there were more than a few familiar friends in the crowd - Two thirds of the wonderful Sleepyhead, Mr. Flyweight himself, and even some long-distance drivers from my beloved hometown. These friendly faces were offset by a fairly substantial number of bro-dudes and backhatters, of both the local and vacationing variety, but the die-hard BtS fans in the crowd squashed their drunken, aggro vibe. We're talking joyous, appreciative sing-a-long here, people. Grinning from ear to grateful ear.
Best Built To Spill set I've ever seen? Ayup. Show of the summer? Newt says "Eye-firmative". Show of the year? It's looking good. 2010 has just four full months to change my mind. More comments on the night, along with a free mp3 from the new Electronic Anthology Project, are below these downloadable live tracks...
Hell of a setlist, huh? It's like they reached into my brain, wrote down my favorites, and ran through 'em. I mean, five songs from "There's Nothing Wrong With Love"? Granted, a likely-unplanned "Twin Falls" was to kill time while guitarist Jim Roth changed a guitar string, but jeez, what a gift. Starting with "In The Morning"? Ending with "You Were Right"? Glorious.
The small stage and complete lack of roadies meant the band hung around after their set, and I had the rare chance to accost approach drummer Scott Plouf, one of my longtime drummin' heroes (has been since the very first the Spinanes 7-inch). This isn't something I ever do, but the atmosphere, post-show glow, and a couple o' beers gave me the guts. He graciously accepted my thanks and words of admiration as I explained that, oddly enough, my week had a bit of a "Scott Plouf" theme to it. Bear with me here: A few days before the show, I caught the 2000 K Records documentary "The Shield Around The K" for the first time at the Middle East (one of the excellent Rock Shop installments). On screen within the grainy archival footage was Mr. Plouf. A couple days later, while driving to the Cape and listening to a Red Sox broadcast on WEEI, the Spinanes' "Spitfire" (which starts with a signature Plouf beat), was used as a back-from-commercial musical bed. And then, of course, I get to meet the man himself. I just love little weird coincidences like that.
The main reason I was hanging around after the show wasn't to bother Scott, but to pick up a physical copy of the relatively new Built-To-Spill-but-not-Built-To-Spill mini-album from the Electronic Anthology Project. Yeah, I'd already bought this aural curiosity digital a few weeks previous, but I'm one of those weirdos that needs to hold music in his hand (and I also like putting cash straight into the hands of touring bands). I personally think this thing was worth paying for twice. If you haven't heard about it yet, here's the deal...
Nope, no mention of Built To Spill on there, but it's them. Specifically, it's BtS bassist Brett NeLson (no, not guitarist Brett NeTson) rebuilding seven Built To Spill tracks electronically, with Dug Martsch re-singing his vocals over the whole shebang. And I love it. It brings Doug's longstanding mastery of melody to the forefront, hits just the right nostalgic notes, and shines a new light on some old faves. Don't recognize the titles? Well, it requires some decoding, and *spoiler alert*, here's what you're in for - one song from every proper BtS album, done up 80's synth-style...
01. I Dim Our Angst In Agony (Goin Against Your Mind) from "You in Reverse" [2006] 02. Age I Felt (Get A Life) from "Ultimate Alternative Wavers" [1993] 03. At The Where (The Weather) from "Ancient Melodies of the Future" [2001] 04. Eels (Else) from "Keep It Like a Secret" [1999] 05. What If Your Dull (I Would Hurt A Fly) from "Perfect From Now On" [1997] 06. A Gloss Siren (Israel's Song) from "There's Nothing Wrong With Love" [1994] 07. Far Path Tall Sign (Things Fall Apart) from "There Is No Enemy" [2009]
So why no mention of Built to Spill on this sucker? Why the scrambled song titles? My guess is it ain't just to be obtuse, but also to avoid the legal shenanigans of the band's major label, the good ol' double-you bee. Allows the guys to do their own thing, release something just for fun and on the down low, make a little bit of scratch without the brothers Warner sticking their hands in there. Hell yeah, I say. All the more reason to buy the thing. (CDBaby / iTunes / eMusic). As for the relatively non-specific band name? Well, word is that Brett hopes to involve other artists in the project down the road, creating electronic versions for a wish-list of bands. Does the idea of electro-Dino-Jr. tickle your fancy a bit? Well, keep your fingers crossed, and like I said, buy the thing to show your support.
Brett graciously gave me the go ahead to share up one of the EAP tracks, so I picked my fave...
Given the setlist above, and the meager two songs from last year's "There Is No Enemy", the band doesn't appear to be 'working' the album in the traditional sense, but that didn't stop them from releasing a new video for one of those tracks, "Hindsight"...
The band continues their extensive fall tour in 10 days with a stop in Salt Lake City before they head back East and hit Boston for two nights at the Paradise (tickets), then back West to finish up in Seattle by Thanksgiving. Don't miss 'em. The dates...
September 17th — Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Depot 18th — Englewood, Colo. @ Gothic Theatre 19th — Kansas City, Mo. @ The Beaumont Club 20th — Iowa City, Iowa @ Blue Moose Tap House 21st — Madison, Wis. @ The High Noon Saloon 22nd — Champaign, Ill. @ Pygmalion Music Festival 23rd — Indianapolis, Ind. @ The Vogue 24th — Chicago, Ill. @ Vic Theatre 25th — Detroit, Mich. @ St. Andrews Hall 28th — Buffalo, N.Y. @ The Town Ballroom 29th — Northampton, Mass. @ Pearl Street 30th — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
October 1st — Boston, Mass. @ Paradise Rock Club 2nd — Pawtucket, R.I. @ The Met Café 3rd — So. Burlington, Vt. @ Higher Ground 7th — Philadelphia, Pa. @ Trocadero 8th — Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club 9th — Richmond, Va. @ The National 10th — Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat’s Cradle 11th — Charlotte, N.C. @ Neighborhood Theatre 12th — Athens, Ga. @ 40 Watt Club 13th — Jacksonville, Fla. @ Free Bird Café 14th — Orlando, Fla. @ The Social 15th — Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. @ Culture Room 16th — St. Petersburg, Fla. @ State Theatre 17th — Gainesville, Fla. @ The Venue 19th — Tallahassee, Fla. @ The Moon 20th — New Orleans, La. @ Howlin Wolf 21st — Houston, Texas @ House of Blues Houston 22nd — Austin, Texas @ Emo’s 23rd — Austin, Texas @ Emo’s 24th — Oklahoma City, Okla. @ Diamond Ballroom 25th — Albuquerque, N.M. @ Launch Pad 26th — Tempe, Ariz. @ Marquee Theatre 27th — Solana Beach, Calif. @ Belly Up Tavern 28th — Los Angeles, Calif. @ El Rey Theatre
November 11th — Ashland, Ore. @ Ashland Armory 12th — Eugene, Ore. @ WOW Hall 13th — Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom 15th — Bellingham, Wash. @ The Wild Buffalo 17th — Missoula, Mont. @ Wilma Theater 18th — Spokane, Wash. @ Knitting Factory Concert House 19th — Seattle, Wash. @ The Showbox 20th — Seattle, Wash. @ The Showbox
As ever, stream any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.
the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 256kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.
It's fitting that more than a few Doug Martsch-penned lyrics are about dreams, because this particular Built To Spill show still feels like a vivid one. On a hot early-August evening on the hook of Cape Cod, after a dark drive down a Lost Highway-lit road, I was directed down a dirt-covered driveway for my first-ever look at the Wellfleet Beachcomber - a glorified summer shack that was very sold out at just 400 sweaty souls. The place was hoppin', the parking lot totally packed, the secluded scene something out of a late-night-beach-party flick.
