THE LONG WINTERS have never had much luck in this town. Aside from the last time they played here, when they opened for THE DECEMBERISTS, they’ve had the misfortune of playing here on the same night that other, bigger indie bands had. For instance, several years ago, they drew only twenty people at North by Northwest partly due to the fact that DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE were playing across town. On another occasion, they played The Fire and managed to draw fewer than ten people. Given their history here, and with the more popular SUFJAN STEVENS and MATES OF STATE each playing separate shows elsewhere in town, I was prepared to take in another under-attended Long Winters show here in Philadelphia.
Fortunately, this evening was different. Perhaps it’s because local station WXPN has been playing the song “Teaspoon” from their new Putting the Days to Bed, or just because they’ve gained more fans since the last time they were here; in any case they drew way more people this time around. Now granted, the show wasn’t nearly full, but the turnout wasn’t pathetic. In fact, it turned out to be a great show full of die-hard fans (one of whom came up from Atlanta just to see the show) singing along to every word coming out of singer JOHN RODERICK’s mouth. New songs like the aforementioned “Teaspoon” and “Fire Island, AK” were played along with audience favorites (and requests, which Roderick took happily) like “Ultimatum” and “New Girl,” all to the rapturous delight of the audience.
Roderick was the true star of the show with his witty banter making everyone in attendance laugh and breaking up the monotony between songs quite successfully. At one point, his father called him on his cell phone. Needless to say, Roderick answered, talked to his dad for a few minutes and the audience howled in delight at the absurdity of the situation. Whether or not this was premeditated is unknown, but as such it was entertaining nonetheless. On record, Roderick’s voice can be a bit off-putting before the listener gets used to it, but live the songs came across loud and clear thanks to the crystal clear sound at World Cafe Live. All in all, they played for almost two hours and for a band with only three full-length albums, that’s quite a feat. And not only that, but they were exciting as well – not a dull moment at this show!
Openers MENOMENA are also signed to the Seattle-based Barsuk (the same label that The Long Winters are on), though they hail from Portland, Oregon. They were experimental and tried to be interesting, but ultimately, they were a bit on the boring side. Eschewing guitar for the most part, they’re guided by two multi-instrumentalists who both play keyboards. Unfortunately, they’re more style than substance as their songs never really get off the ground. Then again, they seem to be all the rage in some circles, so perhaps it’s just me.
WHAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS, who are also signed to Barsuk, opened the show. Despite their name, they’re from Austin, TX and sound less like the country song (made famous by JERRY LEE LEWIS) after which they named themselves and more like Anglophile indie-rockers. Their stage presence needs a bit more work, but the songs are definitely there and their overall sound was quite appealing.
