I was familiar with seeing Joe Pernice play live, having attended 14 of his shows, both solo and leading his ace band The Pernice Brothers. (His solo show last August 27 at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom would’ve been the 15th, but it was cancelled due to Hurricane Irene.) But this was my first time seeing him fronting his pre-Pernice Brothers alt-country outfit, Scud Mountain Boys, who broke up in 1997 after releasing three albums together. In fact, it was a shock that these reunion shows even happened at all, given that Pernice hadn’t spoken with his old bandmates in 14 years. But the death of a mutual friend prompted him to get back in contact with them, and judging by this sublime show, it was as if no time had passed at all.
Joe Pernice
In addition to Pernice’s recognizable voice and acoustic guitar, the Scuds consisted of Stephen Desaulniers on bass and backing vocals, Bruce Tull on electric guitar and lap steel, and Tom Shea on mandolin and drums. Unlike previous shows on the tour, the band did not play while sitting around a table, yet the show still felt homey and intimate. Although the band upped the volume midway through, on percussion-fueled songs like “(She Took His) Picture” and the Johnny Cash-like “Cigarette Sandwich”, the majority of the set was more hushed and atmospheric. Songs like “Silo”, “Freight of Fire”, and “Massachusetts” were highlighted by Shea’s tickling mandolin and Tull’s beautifully aching lap steel, giving them a haunting, heartfelt quality that brought goosebumps. Ditto the familiar “Grudge F**k”, a Scuds song later re-recorded for The Pernice Brothers’ 2006 LP Live a Little. The lovely shading provided by Tull and Shea gave the song a tender, more countrified feel, in contrast to The Pernices’ piano-led, orchestral pop version.
Stephen Desaulniers
Two other highlights were covers from their debut album Pine Box: A slowed-down, Tull-sung rendition of Glen Campbell’s classic 1968 #3 “Wichita Lineman”, and for the encore, a magnificent, drawn-out reading of Cher’s 1971 #1 “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves”, performed as if the original never existed. (Pernice said the latter was the first song Desaulniers and he ever played together). It ended the night on a high note, and made one hope that more shows would be forthcoming.
Bruce Tull
