This Washington DC-centered lineup (though CRAIG WEDREN has been living in New York since the early ‘90s) played a host of solo shows in a mini-tour of New York area coffeehouses, such as Cake Shop. The tour technically finished at this free in-store at Sound Fix, though JOE LALLY and DON ZIENTARA played at another coffeehouse in Philadelphia the next night. Although I’m a huge fan of Craig’s old band SHUDDER TO THINK, Joe’s old band FUGAZI, and Don’s engineering and production work on many of my favorite ‘80s DC hardcore records, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect from three individual solo sets by these performers.
I came mainly to see Wedren, and he didn’t disappoint. I hadn’t seen him play live in any capacity since I saw Shudder to Think headline at City Gardens in Trenton, New Jersey, back in January 1993, with the short-lived DC band Severin opening. I expected a lot of unfamiliar material from his new album Lapland. While he did play plenty of those songs (perhaps half of the set), the rest of the set was devoted to old Shudder material, like the majestic “Red House” (originally on the Funeral at the Movies EP, perhaps their best record), the MTV alternative hit “X-French Tee-Shirt” (from their major-label debut Pony Express Record) and “Hit Liquor,” originally released in 1992 as an A-side on a Dischord 7” EP but later re-recorded for Pony Express Record. Wedren was in fine vocal form.
And while his set was a pleasant reacquiantance with my love of his old band during my high school years, and I was mouthing all the lyrics, it wasn’t just pure nostalgia. The new songs were good, too. I look forward to hearing his new album.
Former Fugazi bassist Joe Lally played after Wedren, and though I could only stay for four or five songs, I liked what I heard. He was on bass and vocals backed only by a percussionist. And from what I remember of the material that he played, one was an anti-war song and another was inspired by his daughter. He has a fine, though limited, vocal range, and I could see him putting out a reasonably good solo record. It probably wouldn’t have fans stopping the clamor for a Fugazi reunion, but would be a good holdover, along with THE EVENS’ album from last year.
Don Zientara opened the show with a set of material from his 2004 album Sixteen Songs. To be honest, before this show, I was only familiar with his work recording great DC bands like DAG NASTY, THE EMBRACE, Fugazi, RITES OF SPRING and many others at his famed Inner Ear Studios, but I liked what I heard. Singing and playing only an acoustic guitar throughout his set, his voice sounded a bit quirky and hard-to-get-used-to at first, but eventually won me over. Lyrically, the songs seemed to be more of a personal rather than political nature.
Overall, this show represented a trio of DC veterans more famous for their celebrated older work trying to break out of those boxes. The fact that they’re all still going at it and not content to rest on past glories is a feat in and of itself. The fact that they’re all still striving to make challenging and heartfelt music is encouraging indeed.
