Last night you could find me front row at LA Phil's Russian Chanson night at the Walt Disney Hall stomping my foot along to Devotchka. Many of the band's fans were there clapping and toe tapping along, cheering for every recognizable cue from the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack, and I couldn't help but wonder what we would have been doing if we were in another more rock friendly locale. We'd probably all be dancing in the front rows, maybe even experimenting with a Russian inspired jig, but definitely all kicking our heels up in glee every time Devotchka's Nick Urata whistled a perfect note or Jeanie Schroder danced under her sousaphone or Tom Hagerman took an accordion solo or Shawn King reached under his drum kit for his trumpet. These band members hail from Denver, CO and perpetuate a very big trend in indie-rock today: the multitasker. Rock bands of a high caliber already blow their audiences away with their culmination of talent and charisma but lately the need for a backing band is eliminated when a frontman sings, plays five different kinds of guitars, and even orchestrates a theramin, as Urata does so coolly. Studio sessions get recreated on stage without much need for a wall of sound accompaniment. On stage loops provide enough ambiance now and every musician comes off as a scholar to this new wave. Schroder keeps time on bass with sometimes a cello and sometimes a sousaphone, which was decorated with red twinkly lights for last night's performance. Hagerman came across last night as the true engineer of the group, melding the Slavic-Mariachi traditions the band draws on each time he seamlessly shifted from accordion to violin. He ended up sitting first chair in a quartet from the LA Phil at one point in the night with a beatific smile on his face. Hagerman impressed me in his sharp Beatles-esque thin suit bringing the rock-pop on drums to the traditional instruments which gave the evening its needed modernization. If it was appropriate to stand, he would have brought the crowd to our feet when his trumpet hit cinematic highs. Sometimes I heard Leone and sometimes Gypsies. Many times we felt like dancing but the formal Disney hall kept us all seated. My row twitched under their bobbing knees and snapping fingers. We met a woman who had come down from Denver for the night and said she hadn't missed a Devotchka show in years. She said they often have acrobatic dancers on stage with them. While no acrobats showed up last night the Chanson program hosted a handful of Russian vocalists and a very special performance from poet Saul Williams. The technical feat of the night was impressive, like taking in an opera where the grey-haired techies dispense their vast wisdom through each lighting and sound cue. Williams broke out from his expertly placed mic and shook the crowd with a thunderous quick speaking voice. He started with a previously published poem which examined Paul Robeson's testimony to the House of Un-American Activities Committee and then segued to a new piece which took us on an echoing journey finding new love, finding country, and finding your country at war. Slam poetry, indie-rock and Russians? It was slightly irrelevant to the general public. Several members of the audience left after Devotchka, but then they missed the finale where every musician was brought on stage to sing a traditional Russian freedom song. Two dancers in dresses suggesting Russian peasant girls kicked up their heels and linked elbows. If only we could have done the same.

This Saturday, May 26 the Shadows of Stalin program continues at Disney Hall with PRAVDA which will host some of the most revered DJ's including Amon Tobin, Cut Chemist and DJ Spooky. Watch a cute lil' promo video here. Tickets still available at ticketmaster.

Labels: music, reviews