Sunday, September 28, 2008, Spurlock vs. Dizozza

Went to see Preston and Peter play one of the "Vs." shows at Sidewalk tonight. Preston and Peter were the only act I was familiar with on the bill. I found it a bit unusual that they were stuck in the middle of an evening of disconnected acts. I guess it shouldn't really matter, but I find it can help make an evening a success if there are some interrelationships among the groups. At least it helps in pulling out a larger audience. In any event, despite that and the Sunday time slot and the rain, I made it down there, compelled by the prospect of seeing Peter and Preston together.

I guess the show could have gone either way, but it turned out to be quite a lovely evening of interplay between the two. It seemed obvious that they abandoned the premise of the "Vs." series, which is supposed to be all about unscripted interaction, but I think it was nice that they spent some time working things out and familiarizing themselves with each other's songs. Even still there was enough of an unfinished/unrehearsed quality to the performance that it seemed fresh. Plus, I think that each performer's contributions to the other writers' songs helped give extra levels of dimension and subtlety to the pieces.

Peter did a lovely song...something about velvet hotels. I'd have to hear it again to say more about it, but I found it intriguing with some nice imagery. Preston did a song called Project Invisibility (or Project Invisible). Peter asked him what that was about and Preston explained it was a failed military effort to make ships invisible. Preston sang Sit and Stew, which I remember him writing...maybe around the time I was trying to get the Handsome Men of Sidewalk together or in the early days of Elastic No-No Band or something, but anyway, I remember him working on that song. I really like the line "hate people then remember that you're one too." They did Peter's songs I Love the Law and Bok Choi, and some covers....Bad Moon Rising and Blackbird. They did the Creedence song in a pretty straightforward way actually...Preston playing chords on his guitar. Blackbird was nice. Preston did this scratchy guitar solo kind of thing. It was really more a texture than a tonal sound he was playing, although he did pipe in with some of the song's melody once or twice. Also, Preston sang a song about the rampant overdevelopment of Florida...a very topical kind of song for Preston, but one that I can relate to from a first-hand perspective having grown up in an archetypal Miami suburb. I think it was in that last song that Peter and Preston did a long musical interlude at the end....very nice, with some good piano playing by Peter. Peter is a very talented musician. I am envious of his piano playing skill and his innate sense of music. Actually both Preston and Peter have innate musicality in their own ways.

Peter and Preston sat side by side on stage. Peter had his Yamaha keyboard on his lap. Preston sat with an electric guitar on his lap and a small Yamaha keyboard on a stand in front of him. Preston kept the guitar in his lap the whole time, even when he playing the keyboard.

In the audience: Bernard King, Jon Glovin, Neil Kelly, Heiko, Regan Spurlock, and Peter's friend who videotapes all his shows (I've met him before but can't remember his name).

Herb