By: Zosia Blue
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Robert Skoro at his CD Release Party at the Varsity - Photo by David de Young (click photo for the full photo set from the night.)
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On the night of Rob Skoro’s CD release show, the Varsity was absolutely hot, the soul of the scene buzzing in each hipster heart, from the who’s-who’s lurking at the cabaret tables (Martin Dosh, Jake Hanson of Cowboy Curtis, Bill Mike, the boys from Tapes-n-Tapes) to the blonde “civilian” boy in the red shirt who danced to each set with all limbs out.
You know how I feel about the Varsity, so no need to repeat (though they did run out of Seagram’s for the one drink in my bar-ordering repertoire). The night began with Ghost Band, a one-man eletronica outfit who played bathed in a Slimer-colored green glow. The beats were steady and pulsing enough to jazz the crowd for the next two acts. (Ghost Band lived up to his name at one point, when a frightening, staticy Gremlin sound filled the club. My companion nearly had a bit of cardiac arrest, which I take to mean Ghost Band’s intention was effective.)
Next on the bill was Vicious Vicious, and I’m embarrassed to admit I’d never seen them before. Of course, I know of them. Vicious Vicious is Erik Appelwick’s solo-with-a-little-help-from-his-friends project. Appelwick, Minneapolis’s golden child songwriter, is everywhere these days, from jamming in the track-suited The Hopefuls to being nominated for best song (“Castaways”) for the Minnesota Music Awards. My expectations were high, but they were soon exceeded and then blown to bits. As David de Young mentioned in an earlier review, it’s difficult to pinpoint the minute difference between a good band and a great band, but I’m going to try: Vicious Vicious has all the necessary elements, with tight playing, efficient musicians, catchy and melodic songwriting and a smoking hot frontman who knows the right moments to lean into the mic. But what’s more is that they know it, and not in, say, a cocky Mick Jagger swagger way, but in the way that you and I know we’re pretty great at breathing. Erik Appelwick doesn’t need flash or the put-upon face of your average indie rocker. He stands aside from his songs and let them do the work – an artist who’s truly adhered to the old adage, “Let the work speak for itself.”
The set began (with local shyguy Martin Dosh on piano) with a crowd favorite, “Shake That Ass on the Dance Floor,” to “Blue Tuesday.” At one point, the crowd made the mass decision to move closer to the stage, and the entire band smiled in unison. The bassist, the ubiquitous James Buckely, during certain points in a song, would raise his Goblet of Rock, as Appelwick laughed and kept playing. The feel was casual, laidback and friendly, and because these musicians genuinely liked each other and what they were doing, I liked them, too. Their music could be described as lounge-funk, but through the set, I found myself simultaneously relaxed and moved, the latter especially during the chorus of “Castaways,” in which Appelwick mournfully wailed, “This is the song I wrote just before that ship went down.”
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Varsity Marquis
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Vicious Vicious was a fine precursor to Robert Skoro and band (made up of, among others, jazzman J.T. Bates and guitar guru, Bill Mike). Skoro, who had been watching much of the show from the mezzanine, took the stage in a white t-shirt and an obviously favorite pair of jeans (there was a much-broken-in wallet indent in the right pocket – why I notice musician’s pants so often is to be discussed at another time), which was indicative of his onstage persona – humble, comfortable and thankful to be playing. He mentioned he had been sitting on his new album, These Things That Could Be Ours, for a year now, three years after his debut in 2002, Proof. Opening with the quiet, sentimental “Before the Sun” (track 4 on the new album), Skoro set the tone for the show, a nostalgic, chilled feeling that had audience members nodding their head in quiet understanding. This was my first time seeing Skoro, as well, and after Vicious Vicious, who quickly became a favorite, I was slightly disappointed initially by the coffeehouse feel to Skoro’s music (with the exception of the tune, In Line – played towards the end of the set – which was a fabulously dark, driving tune, an interesting doppelganger to the sweet, puppydog romantic melodies of the rest of the songs).
After more careful listening, however, I couldn’t help but fall for the music. The charm of such longing Midwestern torch songs like, “2318” and “Kidnapped” seem perfect for the movie moment in which the guy loses the girl. Skoro mentioned between songs that the new album was about life changes and friends, and one gets the idea that the changes that occurred between Proof and the current album weren’t especially uplifting. Still, the album and the show itself didn’t depress – there’s a certain glow to Skoro, a sort of quirky optimism that pervades any perceived sadness. After Dosh climbed the stage again to sit on a few songs, the set ended and Skoro left, only to be enthusiastically shouted back for two encores. The first, track 7 from the new album, “China,” featured just him and James Buckley (he’s everywhere!) on the upright bass. The rest of the band returned for the last song of the evening, “Hungry Ghost,” which began measured and slow, and ended with the band rocking and vibrating the room. Skoro left the stage with a half-wave and the unassuming smile I’m beginning to believe he’s known for.
Vicious Vicious’s sophomore album, Don’t Look So Surprised, is currently available on The Redemption Recording Co. label , and Skoro’s latest, These Things That Could Be Ours is out now on Yep Roc.
Vicious Vicious – Set List
http://www.viciousvicious.com
Shake That Ass
Here Come Tha Police
California
Blue Tuesday
Gate
2 Much
Castaway
Oh, I Would Do Anything for My Girl
Serious
Let Me down
Rob Skoro – Set List
http://www.robertskoro.com
Before the Sun
John Muir
The Package
Two-Part Harmony
I was Blonde at Age Four
Heaven
Boo Hoo
Old Friend
Influence
Kidnapped!
2318
In Line
Memory
Morning
It’s All Up in the Air
Construction Begins Now
All the Angles
China
Hungry Ghost
Location Info:
The Varsity Theater
Artist Info: Ghost Band, Robert Skoro, Vicious Vicious
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