To Rufus or not to Rufus Wainwright, that is the question.

Mark Kozelek @ Santiago Alquimista, Lisboa
2007/10/27

The night was magical, to say the least. It was my first time at this venue and the place is magnificent, nothing could prepare me for such a zen space.
For this night, cowboy boots would be the ideal shoe-wear, but with my sneakers I was able to grasp the essentials ;)

The opening band, Sean Riley & The Slow Riders, played consistent, mostly melodic songs in a neo-country kind of way. If it wasn't for the "Boa noite" and the many "Obrigado a todos", I would think they came with Mark...

Then, after the stage was almost completely cleared, came Mark. It quickly became clear he's one of those persons who needs to have things under control, a perfectionist. After long tuning sessions each music would start, sometimes to stop after a short while. This only added up to the extremely intimist set.
Mark's voice was a surprise. It was way clearer live than on tape... I don't even want to try to explain why or how.



Mark had the company of a second guitar for most of his show. The were no introductions but the dialog between the two guitars sounded nice, though much different from the ones in Red House Painters albums like "Songs for a Blue Guitar".
Mark's remarks were short but curious, he seems to care about what people think about him but also seems to feel like an outsider. I bet he is convinced he is boring us out while playing, obviously that must partly go way during the claps.
Strangely the audience didn't react as much as I expected and only sang along to "Bad Boy Boogie". Personally I only knew the lyrics to 5 or 6 songs and some sounded strange in this slower format.



His comeback to the stage was short but worth it with the best songs of the night. Songs from his own solo work ("Bad Boy Boogie") and from Red House Painters ("San Geronimo"), in more melodic and sharper versions, when compared to the rest of the concert.

Overall, it was a unique concert, in a format I had never seen before, and left me eager to listen to Mark with his band and songs with more varied melodies. It was an honor to be able to finally meet Mark Kozelek, the poet.



Other reviews:

Cocoon - From Panda Mountains

It's a kind of neo-country from the heart of Europe. Cocoon makes me think of Elliot Smith (guitars), Ben Harper (voice) and a few others. Nice duo. :)

Their earlier sound (check their MySpace) doesn't sound as soft and melodic.

You really have to listen to the 3rd track ("I don't give a shit") on
this Peanut's Playground post.

"Now feel like a popcorn"

and it makes me wonder...
and I can't get that phrase out of my head.

Photograph by Nazif Topçuoğlu

"Demorei algum tempo a acariciá-la. «Acabe com isso, ouviu?», ordenou-me, num guincho
fanhoso, e apressou-se a afastar o ombro bronzeado dos meus lábios. (Era deveras curioso o modo como ela considerava - e continuou a considerar durante muito tempo - todas as carícias, excepto beijos na boca ou o acto puro e simples do amor, «patetices românticas» ou coisas «anormais».)"
in Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov

Há muitas variações sobre este tema, sob outras formas, menos elementares, em que a inocência é somente aparente e um fio condutor de depravação segue com a exploração como objectivo. No final, e de acordo com o tom do Nabokov, o poder destrutivo, desde logo espectável deste comportamento, toma conta de tudo. É bom poder olhar para algo assim como um passado recente apenas.

Sountrack: Several by Ed Motta

"If you think this is a drag
Don't let me stop you
If you think it's time to change
well, then I hope that change marks you

I won't get in your way
You've got nothing left to say
but goodbye

Goodbye
goodbye
goodbye
goodbye

I thought that I would be lost
without you
but I was wrong
I thought that I would be lost
without you
but I was wrong

Goodbye
goodbye
goodbye
goodbye"

Goodbye
Elephant Parade

Runny nose but warm feet.
I just don't feel like dancing today, lets see tomorrow...

Shaved, to the skin...

Btw, this tune is from a pretty neat album: "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain".