Matt Wertz

(Fall Concert Series, Part III)

Matt Wertz is another act out of Nashville, whose style is characterized as “acoustic pop.” I think that means that it gets your toes tapping, even though the lead singer plays acoustically. I generally don’t like pop music, so I guess Matt Wertz defines the upper limit of my pop-palate. While playing it in the car, the preacher’s daughter commented that she thought he sounded a bit like John Mayer, which I told her was impossible, because I hate John Mayer.

I then recounted the story from grad school when some friends and I went to a Counting Crows/John Mayer show, and how we left early on principle because Counting Crows were opening for John Mayer, instead of the other way around. We had nearly fled the scene before John Mayer started playing, but due to some car trouble, we had to suffer through the first couple of songs of his set. The exact details are fuzzy and even recounting this abbreviated version of the story is traumatic enough. In any event, the preacher’s daughter is a big fan of John Mayer and she was not amused by my story.

That being said, Jason Mraz may be a more appropriate comparison, which is to say, this is good, happy music to listen to while falling in love, or with the windows down while driving down a windy country road. (After writing that sentence, I paused to consider the possibility that falling in love is much like driving down a windy country road with the windows down. I even entertained the possibility that falling out of love is much like being stranded in a parking lot at a John Mayer concert. The jury is still out on both questions.)

My favorite songs are “The Way I Feel,” which had the whole crowd singing, “Carolina,” which he was only too happy to play in Chapel Hill, and “Heartbreaker,” which is the first song of his that I had heard. I don't have any of his albums, so can't recommend any of them. But take a listen to those singles. If you’re looking for something deeply introspective, you won’t get it here. But if you’re in the mood for a little sugar, take a listen. Here’s his myspace.

The War

(Fall concert series, part II)

The War was formerly a local Chapel Hill band of some repute named Starting Tuesday. They have not yet released a full length album under their new moniker, but they do have a 5 song EP, which is solid top to bottom. I was amazed by how much energy these guys put into a show. At more than one point, I felt like the audience was being bludgeoned by the riffs of a trio of guitarists, in a good way. For one of the songs, they invited the audience play percussion as the tech’s rolled out two 20 foot sticks of 4” PVC pipe and several dozen drum sticks. These guys are definitely my favorite local band, even though they’ve since moved on to Nashville. If you like The Fray, you should check these guys out. “Goodbye July” and “Satisfied” are my favorites. They, too, are available on itunes and myspace.

Meiko

As I mentioned earlier, I caught two of Brett Dennen’s shows when he came through town in September. I feel like it’s necessary to give a plug to his opening act, a half-Japanese girl from Georgia named Meiko. Truth be told, I don’t actually know if she’s half-Japanese. She could be three-quarters or perhaps one-eighth, but I like to consider her one-half, because, if nothing else, it reminds me of the opening line from my favorite Weezer song/video, El Scorcho, which is worth watching if only for the chicken dance the drummer does during the breakdown.


Meiko, for her part, did not do a chicken dance, but she nonetheless had great stage presence, despite her unassuming personality. Indeed, the fact that she was slightly uncomfortable up there only made her more endearing and even downright funny at times. This, of course, is on top of the fact that she’s a talented singer and song writer, with a voice that was made to sing about heartbreak. My favorites are the tracks “Under My Bed,” which laments a recent breakup, “How Lucky We Are,” a ballad pregnant with hope, and the brutally honest Untitled Track about a hopelessly unhealthy relationship from the perspective of a hotdog. Yes, a hotdog. Adding to her charm are the facts that she has a stripped down under-produced style, has refrained from signing with a major label, and keeps a blog! What’s not to love? Keep your ears peeled for her. I understand she’s all over the soundtracks for TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy. She’s blowing up! In the meantime, hit her up on itunes or myspace.

Fall Concert Series

As many of you know, I love love love live music. Unfortunately, since I live in a college town, good live music is only available seasonally. Musicians and their agents assume (and rightfully so) that few students are around during the summer months, so they pass over Chapel Hill when booking summer tour dates. The upshot, however, is that the fall brings an influx of great bands. I’ve been averaging a show a week for the past two months or so. It’s been fantastic. My next few posts will rundown some of the acts.