Magnolia Electric Co.
Date: August 6, 2005 Thankful for the Blues My second Magnolia Electric Co. experience was a more even affair than what I saw a year earlier. While the band may not have quite equaled the best moments of its Pop Montreal showcase, it seemed to hit its stride much quicker, with great playing maintaining the mood throughout the night. With a fine showing from Greenfield Main and a manic performance from the incomparable Grand Buffet, the entire concert was a treat. Greenfield Main opened the night on a high note with a polished, energetic set. While they first showed a country-flavoured folkish side to their music, it wasn't long before they revealed a greater rock intensity. The band succeeded with each direction, augmenting a set of strong originals with covers of labelmates Detective Kalitah and the band whose name appears in almost all Magnolia press, Neil Young and Crazy Horse. While Greenfield Main's blend of country, folk, and rock foreshadowed the eventual headlining set, it certainly did not prepare the crowd for the antics of Grand Buffet. For those unfamiliar with the wild rap duo, though, there probably could have been no suitable lead-in. Even after having seen the band once before, opening for Wesley Willis, I was still amazed by their wild spectacle. Before even offering a song, the band got the crowd going with a ridiculous five-minute story about Jackson O'Connell-Barlow's grandfather entrusting him with a mask that he should use if he found himself in Ottawa, surrounded by ghosts. As with most aspects of a Grand Buffet concert, it's difficult to capture the details in print after the fact. To summarize, though, if there is a better pair of shit-talkers than Jackson and Lord Grunge, it's news to me; and the pair had me in stitches with a barrage of stage banter that included their plan to outdo Billy Corgan's friends list on Myspace and a put-down of a heckler. When turning down a request from a particularly knowledgeable fan, Grunge responded in mock anger, "We can't do everything you ask! It's always, 'Hey man, can I take a shit on your chest?' 'No.' 'You guys sold out!'" In truth, though, a Grand Buffet set is a very participatory experience, with the give-and-take between the band and the fans keeping the energy and mood high. If the music almost seemed secondary to the fun, at times, it still came across very well. Most remarkable is the band's ability to keep the lyrics flowing while constantly pogoing across the stage. With only a CD player backing them up, Grand Buffet made for a captivating set through their interplay and physical presence, particularly Jackson's spasmodic mannerisms. A leap off the stage that ended with Jackson worming his way across the club floor was most noteworthy; but that was only one illustration of the fact that the band possessed a physical wildness to match its words. Highlights from a set of short, catchy songs included "Benjamin Franklin Music," "Things That Go Hump in the Night," "Cool as Hell," "1000 Percent," "Mate and Nate," and my favourite, "Americus (Religious Right Rock)." I'm not sure how many converts Grand Buffet made from those who were present to see Magnolia Electric Co.; but they certainly delighted the portion of the crowd that had come to the front of the floor. Unfortunately, while the sparse floor did fill in somewhat for the headlining set, it never reached the capacity that Magnolia Electric Co. deserved for their great playing. As with the first concert that I saw from the band, the order of the setlist (pictured below) was not followed exactly as written; but the band did stack the early portion of the night with unrecorded material. After a very brief changeover time between acts, the ragged "No Moon on the Water" abruptly initiated the main set. "The Dark Don't Hide It," probably the most direct song from the band's last release, gave the crowd something familiar to latch on to, before "What Comes After the Blues," "Lonesome Valley," and "Montgomery Bound" again steered the set through non-album material. With six musicians on stage, the sound was always full but the tightness of the playing kept the music from sprawling. Due to the strength of the playing, even the unfamiliar material was engaging; but, nonetheless, the best moments of the night were found in recent favourites. The qualifier "recent" is needed, as frontman Jason Molina confined himself to material created under the Magnolia Electric Co. banner, choosing not to delve into his extensive catalogue of Songs: Ohia releases. The first three songs attached to the Magnolia moniker, "Farewell Transmission," "I've Been Riding With the Ghost," and "Just Be Simple" were certainly a cornerstone of the concert, and the trumpet-led "Leave the City" was also bang-on. Last year in Montreal, I felt that Molina took some time to settle in to the show, although an absolutely stellar rendition of "Almost Was Good Enough" made up for early imperfections. By contrast, this night was a triumph of consistency, that may have lacked such a powerful knock-out punch but that stood strong from start to finish. The live atmosphere amplified the mood of every song, making the rocker "Hammer Down" connect with a force definitely surpassing the album version, while also making the ache of "Hold On Magnolia" that much more acute. Although the steadily-rising "Texas 71" concluded the night relatively soon, with no encore following, I saw little cause for complaint. With each band on the bill delivering lively performances and Magnolia Electric Co. hitting the mark throughout a tight set, this was a great night. Magnolia Electric Co. setlist 
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