Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.06.2006, Page 23

where
whO
whEN
Fríkirkjan
Joanna Newsom
Smog and
Slowblow
May 16th 2006
There was art in the air. Everybody was wearing
woollen sweaters and scarves or hats or drapes they
had ripped down to sew a gown. The first act of the
evening was Slowblow, a band who personifies the
word arty.
Slowblow started off with some string-arranged
mood music that could have been a soundtrack to
a French silent movie. In the next song, drums and
keyboards were added, giving it a more modern feel.
There were sound problems and big bangs, though
certainly no universe was being born. The whole show
was redundant. I wrote down notes Dreamy-Naive-
Arty-Arty Farty-Redundant-Background-Elevator
music. I thought to myself “Is this it?” Maybe I was
annoyed just seeing heads in front of me. I loved
Slowblow when they warmed up for Blonde Redhead,
but now they were like a beautiful girl who has no
character, nothing to say, nothing to offer but beauty,
so when you get to know her she looks ugly to you,
though undoubtedly she could win a beauty pageant.
When walking to the concert I’d met a friend of
my brother and he said he was just there to see Bill
Callahan. I said, “Yes, of course,” not having any idea
who Bill Callahan was. I later found out that Bill Cal-
lahan, known in the music business as Smog, has it as
his profession to date up-and-coming female singers.
He used to be the boyfriend of Chan Marshall (better
known as Cat Power). His latest prey is sweet and
innocent Joanna Newsom. All kidding aside, Smog is
more famous than Joanna Newsom, and he has been a
major influence on the alt-country scene.
So it was an act of chivalry that he opened for his
lesser-known, entirely more beautiful girlfriend. Smog
started to play and was very melodic, had such charac-
ter in his voice, a cross between Nick Cave and Johnny
Cash. I was immediately hooked on his simplistic
strumming and excellent lyrics. People almost fell
asleep watching Smog, but I liked him. Sure he was a
dirty old man, but I could have listened to Smog play
the two chords over and over and humming all night.
People were getting quite comfortable and Bill
shouted “whoo” with a high-pitched voice reminding
us that sometimes you have to be shouted at to fully
appreciate life’s greatest joys. The high point of the
Smog show was when he played the witty “Dress Sexy
at My Funeral,” because he knows his wife will be at
least 30 years younger when he dies.
At this point Joanna walked in. I had seen her once
before at Roskilde and didn’t like her. Didn’t even
see the whole concert. To me Joanna sounded like
Janice from Friends. She has a voice that can be found
somewhere between a little girl and a siren. She started
playing and didn’t lack rhythm, unlike most harp play-
ers. As for her voice, even that helped me get trapped
in a fairytale that I didn’t want to leave.
I was lost in Joanna’s wonderland, and her voice,
once annoying to me, was now as necessary as air or
bacon. Only Fiona Apple has made me cry listening to
an emotional climax in music. Tonight, she was joined
by Joanna Newsom.
God is said to have loved King David more than
other men for he played the harp so beautifully. I bet
you God is in love with Joanna Newsom. Her music
is pure expression, and in the end I was convinced she
is not human. She lives in the stars, takes walks on
the moon and gives the sun life. And you think these
are metaphors. I speak what I see, and what I saw was
beyond divine. Her voice is one of the most versatile
instruments in the world. I just had to put down my
pen and absorb every element of her performance. I
was in love. Damn Bill Callahan.
After the concert I talked to Joanna. She looked
only seventeen. It was hard to imagine that this was
the same girl that once spit at a fan who was yelling at
her during a show. But that just made her all the more
unique. We had a moment when she looked deep into
my eyes, but Bill, the dirty old man, wasn’t far away.

Harp Inspires Hyperbole
By Helgi Valur | Photo by Skari
“God is said to have loved King
David more than other men for
he played the harp so beauti-
fully. I bet you God is in love
with Joanna Newsom.”
summer Concert series
ursday junE 15th
17:00 gallerí humar eða frægð, laugavegur 59
free entrance
21:00 café amsterdam, hafnarstræti 5
SigN  gues
500 iSK
Sign
june 8th · 15th · 22nd · 29th july 6th · 13th · 20th · 27th august · 3rd · 10th · 17th · 24th · 31st september 7th

ursday junE 8th
17:00 gallerí humar eða frægð, laugavegur 59
free entrance
21:00 Café Amsterdam, Hafnarstræti 5
500 iSK
Fr
 guesfr
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