Concert review: Daniel Folmer CD release party at J&J’s Pizza in Denton (October 16)

by Andy Odom of My Denton Music

"This could collapse at any moment." That thought sits in the back of my mind every time I descend into J&J's "Dirty Ol' Basement" for a show. It's just as easy to believe that it's some naturally occurring grotto rather than a man-made structure. On this particular night, though, the creaky boards overhead and dust-filled air made the perfect surroundings to celebrate the release of Daniel Folmer's new CD, Dead End, accompanied by performances by Dust Congress, Glen Ferris, and Sabra Laval.

Laval opened the evening in front of a couple dozen folks and spun a short set of slow and sultry ballads that recalled Jolie Holland and Chan Marshall. Sabra was solid and in fine voice, even though it appeared a couple times as though her band wasn't all on the same page. Glen Ferris followed with an excellent display of musicianship and affecting melodies. He opened his set with a brooding and rumbling version of the folk staple "The Cuckoo," then held the attention of the steadily growing audience with his original songs, which blended early Dylan with Elliot Smith. So strong was his performance that few seemed to mind when he forgot a couple lines.

Next was Dust Congress, which features perhaps the most unique instrumentation of any band in Denton -- excluding Robert Gomez's typewriter. They plodded through their set at a shambled pace, alternating between tempos and trading styles from folk tunes to chantey sing-alongs, which were all the more infectious when singing about how "the world is shit!" All the while, Jeff Barnard's marimba danced around Nick Foreman's guitar, banjo, kick drum, and hi-hats, giving the audience plenty to hold onto.

Finally, it was Daniel Folmer's turn.

"It's a celebration," said Glen Ferris, halfway through his own set. "We're celebrating the birth of Daniel's baby! ... or, his new record." And Daniel Folmer took the opportunity share the celebration with his friends; calling on his buddy Will to open the set with one of Will's songs, by performing The Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning" with Ferris (a performance that sounded right off the "Max's Kansas City" record), and by performing another song with Dust Congress' Nick Foreman. Daniel appeared as interested in sharing the love as basking in it.

But, as much as it was a celebration, it was also a good-bye. Not only was Folmer to leave after the show to tour Europe with The Paper Chase, but Cody Seals, Folmer's long-time drummer and friend, was making his last appearance before moving to Portland. "It's appropriate…" Folmer said at one point, "the record is all about leaving anyway." This emotional tug-of-war fueled his ramshackled, but riveting, performance. Folmer just fell into songs from tweaking his amp, chatting with the band, or checking his cell phone. The loose strums of the guitar you thought were insignificant turned out to be the song's beginning. And when he was out of words, he fell right out of the songs, usually ending them abruptly and with little warning. In between, however, Folmer delivered one pop masterpiece at a time.

But, those damned creaking boards were always in the background, sounding like the building itself could fall apart at any moment. And through muffed words, wrong notes, or just loose delivery, each band offered the same warning. But as noble a goal as precision is, you can't underrate the "Moment" -- that shared experience where perfection can be delivered through imperfection. Those in attendance at J&J's last Saturday were lucky to share such a moment with Daniel Folmer and his friends.