Monday, July 30, 2007

Concert Review: J.D. Whittenburg, Smile Smile, Salim and the Noise, Johnny Lloyd Rollins and the All-Nighters

By Erin Rice

On Friday night J.D. Whittenburg and band "officially" released the self-titled album with a lineup of friends from the Dallas music scene and a whole host of DOMA nominees: Smile Smile, Salim Nourallah and the Noise, and Johnny Lloyd Rollins and the All-Nighters.

First on the Sons of Hermann Hall stage was J.D. Whit. For people who have had the opportunity to listen to the album, there is a slightly different feel to the live performance. That's not to say that one is better than the other, but while the album is fairly clean and precise, the live performance is more raw has an edge to it, as live performances tend to do. The highlight of the set for me, and where this edge was particularly evident, was the closer, "Gospel Music." A haunting ballad in either version, the song starts very slowly with no more than the keys. From there it ramps up to include the rest of the instrumentation and vocals, and eventually broke loose on Friday, while maintaining an ethereal quality. It's far and away my favorite song on the CD. My only critique would be to start the vocals just as the instrumentation, with a single voice, before bringing in the backing vocals later. From a listener's perspective, that would really hit home the simplicity followed by the wall of sound. All in all, an entertaining set, and no doubt a relief for the debuted band to have a first show under their combined belts.

Smile Smile taken from the show (not by myself).

The following group was Smile Smile. Of the bands performing tonight they were the only one I had not in one way or another heard before. Let's chalk this up to a "good thing," because their set was a pleasant surprise to my ears. Switching it up between male, female, and duo led vocals, and spanning the indie-pop spectrum while tossing in some folksy and rockabilly pieces, there was no song performed during the set that could have been confused with another. While I was favored the faster tunes, the slower more piano-heavy songs, and the duet between Ryan Hamilton and Jencey Hirunrusme, backed only by an acoustic guitar and cymbals, were breathtaking and beautiful. One fan in particular was ecstatic about the band, claiming that she had seen them nearly a year prior and that they had come a long way in such a short time. If they have made that much progress so far, I can only imagine where another year takes them.

Salim Nourallah and the Noise were next in line and delivered a classically great set. If you're reading this you probably know what Salim's music sounds like, and if not, his band page has a whole host of videos and live performance audio available for your listening pleasure. If you have not had the opportunity of late, he is definitely someone to see live, especially with the talented combination of musicians in The Noise. The band takes more risks in the live set and several of the songs have that catchy and entertaining swelling of sound; until Salim breaks loose with the vocals and Chris Holt completely strips off his fingertips from his frenzied and chaotic strumming. Salim's sound is new pop with an old sensibility and it's quality every time.

Johnny Lloyd Rollins and the All-Nighters

Finally was Johnny Lloyd Rollins and the All-Nighters. What can you say? The man is talented. Frighteningly, amazingly, makes you doubt your own self-worth on this planet talented. Having seen him and the band play on a huge outdoor stage in the ellum:ONSTAGE parking lot, there is something to be said for watching a JLR show in an intimate setting such as the Sons of Hermann Hall. The songs, while delivered smoothly, have complicated segments, and being up close to watch the All-Nighters physically play the songs is pretty nifty. Playing mostly from Let's Be Poor Together - including "For Laura," "Sulphur Springs Midnight Scatt," and "Bi-Polar Bear Blues" - the set also included an older song, the origins of which the band joked about, and closed with "Liar's Lament." A departure from the version on our site, the live version with the newer band is highly energetic and ended the four-band concert on its highest note of the night. This and every set from the band is a solid argument for putting together a live album of the current material. Come on, do it. No, seriously. Do it.

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