Plaid Cowboys Ride Again

The Raconteurs; Dr. Dog
@ Roseland Ballroom
New York, NY - September 25 & 26, 2006

First off I need to apologize to readers of this blog. I did not intend for the music half of this blog in 2006 to be almost entirely focused on the Raconteurs. It just happened to work out that way (multiple gigs, affordability, news & developments). By now, anyone who actually reads this thing must groan at sight of the name "Raconteurs" and probably for that matter "Dirtbombs" as well but that just the way it be right now, kids. So bear with me.

I still don't understand how the band of storytellers came up with this Western motif they got going on (Ennio Morricone theme entrances, the occasional cowboy-esque hat, the brown and gold colors) but it works. Initially the band had no theme (the website is still designed as a primitive old Commodore style computer) but this is clearly the direction the band has taken. And it works.

When I first saw the band live at Irving Plaza in April, they were great but it didn't feel perfect. The songs clicked but not all the way. The band was tight but not incredibly tight. All that has now changed. Over the last few months, touring incessantly, this little outfit has filled in all the extra adjectives. In a microcosm, let's take their cover of "Bang Bang" (the Cher/Bono song made famous by Nancy Sinatra and revived in Quentin Tarantino's ode to Spaghetti Westerns, Kill Bill). When the band first started doing the song over the summer, the mp3 bootlegs revealed a disjointed, sloppy sounding stutter step (in fact, the way it was done, it sounded better for the White Stripes to cover). But by these last two nights, it's become more than solid, more than finely executed - it's perfect. The band sounds perfect. Maybe they were helped by the acoustics of Roseland but I first caught wind of this at the Prada gig. They are now fulfilling the hype the fans of their previous bands generated. They have met expectations. (Notice I did not say "exceed" because that would set the bar impossibly high but that day may yet come.)


Night 1 - photo by the New York Times

Check out the New York Times review of night 1. What an odd article. Kaleefa Sanneh (who I normally agree with and enjoy when he guests on WNYC's Soundcheck) seems to actually resent Jack White's efforts to blend into the rest of his band as an equal member. While it is true he has THE talent (though history may judge Patrick Keeler to be a drummer on par with White's guitar work), and the attention and the fame and the opportunities are all based on White being in the band, there is no point in slighting the rest of the band. Brendan Benson is a fine guitarist himself and he vocally provides the balance, control, melody, and pop authenticity that this band needs (and frankly, that Jack needed). The rhythm section - Mr. Keeler and bassist Little Jack Lawrence - to say "nothing to sneeze at" is a disservice. And besides, science has shown that no band is quite that good unless it has Little Jack in it. I stand by my words. And, the fifth Raconteur (live-wise anyway), Dean Fertita on the keyboards - without him, many a song would fail. "Level" is arguably the band's best song. And without the keyboards, there would be no "Level".


Night 2 - photo by Roxxan H

This has gone on way too long for its own good. I'll wrap up with Dr. Dog....Ehhhhh. I remember a few years ago when the hip culture papers in Philadelphia went nuts about this band as the city's potential representative in the hipster rock revival. Unfortunately, Dr. Dog turned out to be just another jam band. They offer nothing fresh or compelling or remotely interesting and Roseland Ballroom was too big for their britches. While live they don't sound anywhere near as bad as their recorded material, it still would have been better to have someone else - and yes, the first candidate is an aforementioned band that also starts with a D but let's not get into it.