The crowd was characterized by its collective hats. There was the straw cowboy, the porkpie, the fedora, the floppy knit in neutral colors that held volumes upon volumes of hair, the short-brimmed military and of course, the newsboy. The cross-section of headgear present to witness the cross-section of bands: opener Jonathan Wilson, a sort of J. Mascis-lite—younger, skinnier and only slightly grey in the hair department, but on pointe with the guitar acrobatics—headliner Vetiver—as quiet and unassuming folkies as their sometime-collaborator Devendra Banhart isn't—and the act we were there to see, Kelley Stoltz.
Stoltz and his band were wrapping up the last of a few nights with Vetiver, a short little jaunt down the west coast just before a month off, as they gear up to support Stoltz's latest Sub Pop release Circular Sounds on the European festival circuit. It was funny to see Stoltz on stage with so many members of his backing band—a far cry from the studio, where he played every instrument and manned the boards as well. So it wasn't a surprise to see a little bit of flair added as each player put their touch on songs like “The Birmingham Eccentric” and the opener “Gardenia.”
Perched on top of the keyboards (which Stoltz would later play during “Wave Goodbye” off of Below the Branches) was a plastic cat, the kind that are normally up on walls in '80s throwback movies with the giant round eyeballs and tail marking the seconds. This particular critter instead bobbed an extended paw to the beat like a white boy at a hip-hop show (and yeah, I've been that white boy).
The entire band was playful, from Kelley on down. Before launching into “Everything Begins,” Stoltz announced “this one's a new number, and it starts off in the B-flat category.” Every song seemed to be just a little more rocking, a little more urgent than on record. Thanks for this should probably go to drummer James Kim, formerly of the much-loved (around these parts) The Court & Spark. Kim and his bandmates even took charge during “Your Reverie,” prompting a “so you guys are just gonna start without me?” from Stoltz. There were other, more sentimental moments, like when Stoltz gave a shoutout to his mother Patricia before kicking off “Memory Collector,” since she sings on the recorded version.
The mixed crowd bopped along through the set, and a few even added incidental percussion, specifically the two quasi-hippie girls dancing off to stage right, their beaded-and-belled bracelets and belts functioning as makeshift shakers and tambourines. Also, I'm pretty sure I saw a boob during a particulary vigorous dance off. So that was a bonus.
During the final song, some of the more psych-ish elements of the Stoltz catalog came in to play. All the stops got pulled out—sax solo, some Theremin action (I saw a documentary on the Theremin once, and I kind of became a Theremin nerd), and an extended wah-solo, all while Stoltz reassured the crowd “you're all groovy, groovy people.” As he sang “my creator has a master plan: peace and happiness for every man,” I couldn't help but think that with sounds like these, I'll buy what Stoltz and his creator are selling.
Download "Your Reverie" from Circular Sounds – [mp3]
Download "The Birmingham Eccentric" from Circular Sounds – [mp3]
For more information visit www.kelleystoltz.com or myspace.com/kelleystoltz
