By: Andrea Myers
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Kraig Johnson, Gary Louris, Janey Winterbauer (guest vocalist), Jody Stephens, Marc Perlman, Dan Murphy
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Golden Smog took the stage to a packed room, filled with avid fans that tended toward the upper end of the rock concert age spectrum (i.e. where “old” is actually middle-aged). Like any good First Ave show, there were distinct feelings of both history and camaraderie pulsating through the room, and those feelings were mirrored back on the stage as a string of rock legends took turns singing their favorite tunes to their hometown fans.
Despite having formed in the early ‘90s, Golden Smog have just three full-length CDs to their name; one of which, Another Fine Day, was released last week on Lost Highway, and they played most of the tracks on the album during their two-hour set. It’s no surprise, really, that the group hasn’t had more time to devote to Smog songwriting; current active band members and contributors include Gary Louris and Marc Perlman of the Jayhawks, Danny Murphy of Soul Asylum, Kraig Johnson of Run Westy Run, Ed Ackerson of Polara, Jody Stephens of Big Star, and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo (who wasn’t present at the First Ave show).
The group overlaps so much with each other and other bands that it is difficult to keep track of who is going where and when (lucky for me, the merch booth was selling posters of the Golden Smog “Family Tree,” which maps out a good portion of the band’s history), and the concert proceeded in a similar fashion. The various rock stars took turns singing lead vocals and inviting friends to the stage for accompaniment, and the played through many old favorites off of 1995’s Down by the Old Mainstream. “Oldies” highlights included a wrenching version of “Ill Fated” sung by Louris, a remarkably Soul Asylum-sounding “V,” sung by Murphy, and a great full-band cover of Bowie’s “Starman” that also featured Son Volt member Jim Boquist on harmonies.
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Kraig Johnson of Golden Smog
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The new songs also translated well live, and many of them seemed just as catchy and hook-laden, if not more, than their older classics. “Hurricane” and “You Make it Easy” have both been following me for days, and “5-22-02” has been in my head ever since hearing it live last December at the First Ave 35th Anniversary Party. Unlike that show, however, there seemed to be a lack of momentum about halfway through last weekend’s set, and I couldn’t tell if it was because of their various technical difficulties or a lack of practice time due to their busy schedules. The show took the crowd on a roller coaster of energy levels, ranging from, “Hell yeah!” to, “It’s after midnight and they aren’t stopping anytime soon…”
When I was about to lose interest, Smog pulled the show back up with a rousing version of “He’s A Dick,” to which Murphy joked, “Kraig’s going to sing a song about a friend of his who’s kind of a dick…and no, it’s not Ryan Adams!” The set was finished off with should-be radio hit “Corvette,” which featured Murphy asking us in the chorus, “Don’t it blow your mind, like the first time?”
Rough patches and all, the Smog show proved that even if we have to wait another eight years for an album, their songs have the staying power to leave you wanting more yet feeling happily, complacently satisfied.
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: Golden Smog
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