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My youngest son and I went to see and hear Built To Spill at the Showbox last night (the only all ages show). Doug Martsch is a true mad genius of rock. He and the band are all business on stage like sound sculptors working real time in front of the audience. They are serious about the madness of the music. At one point Martsch came out with an acoustic guitar and did some off the wall blues renditions of 3 of his songs, very basic folk style over the top of some complex musical and lyrical ideas as well as a deft slide. This is a man who thinks about music and then plays it from his soul. The final number went from a complex rock poem to a wall of woven noise in which all three guitarists spun a thread. I am not completely sure it was music but my mind and body were so engrossed in it that it didn’t matter.
Le Fleur opened with their interesting blend of high energy music. I would like to hear more of their music live. 50 minutes is not long enough. Ivy Meissner has an infectious energy and plays a mean bass. The whole band is very polished with some interesting musical ideas. Beyond all that they seem to be enjoying themselves on stage. Nice to see musicians who take joy in their craft.
