Post-Punk Monk

Had it really been nine years and eight days since I last saw David J live in a show at the late, lamented Mothlight venue in Asheville, North Carolina? That time seemed to have flown by even as I had been pining for another dip into his robust songbook for the whole time. Having been utterly convinced by the Mothlight show in 2017 that cemented my David J solo fandom. Sure, sure. I had the complete Bauhaus catalog, and a few Love + Rockets releases, but after that I was all in on his solo career. I’d follow this gentleman anywhere.

Since then I’d reviewed his last two albums of demo cassette tunes [naked, and revisited with band] which revealed a vivid songwriting talent capable of going anywhere he wished with the mocha-like swirl of compassion, wit, insight, and even steely outrage he could bring to the work. These got me through the David J drought, but it was my delight to have published my review of “Tracks From The Attic Revisited” and to have received in my inbox 30 minutes later news of the current David J tour with this local house concert date from the Independent Project Records press agent.

While the show I’d seen in the club had been peerless, the only thing better than an intimate club show with 100-200 people is a house concert. I was on my ticket like white on rice and have been counting down the days for the last month. I had not been to a house concert since the pre-pandemic days. And the hosts who kept a fairly busy schedule of those events at their Streamside Studios, had long since moved away. Leaving a void I’d not been able to fill.

Until last night! As there was an opening act, Eef Barzelay of Clem Snide, and the ticketing proclaimed a doors at seven – show at eight paradigm, I resolved to arrive at the earliest since it’s better for parking at a house concert and who knows. I was hopeful that I could meet some interesting new people in the bargain? The show was north of Asheville proper in a large home that was like a poster child for a great house concert with wooden floors, walls, and ceilings in a beautiful rural setting. The hostess for this evening was a singer and songwriter herself, Renata Youngblood. She had known David for many years since he had produced her EP and album when she was a west coast resident.

I parked and entered the home to find people already there as more drifted in. I was looking at the merch table to see that the music on offer were the last two editions from Independent Project Records which I already had and loved. Though my eyes did widen at the appearance of the “Art boxed” LP version of “Songs From The Attic” [complete with actual David J demo cassette tape] that retails for a cool half a grand. It was there that I struck up a conversation with a woman also perusing the merch and discovered that we each had a zest for music. When I asked her if she had seen David J live before she dropped the bomb that she had last seen him in Asheville a year ago at Fleetwoods Chapel – a club/bar/wedding chapel hybrid that this unhip, older guy hadn’t even heard of. Ouch! While we chatted, I recognized a gent walking into the patio where we were who I’d seen open for David J in 2017. It was Chandra Shukla, who makes music under the name Xambuca. We introduced ourselves then I remembered I’d seen him elsewhere. He had promoted the Roedelius tour that had also brought the giant to The Mothlight [and opened for him] shortly before the time that David J had also played there.

Eventually the people started to drift indoors and set seated well after 8:00 p.m. and the three of us took our seats. It was around 8:30 when our hostess introduced Eef Barzelay of the band Clem Snide. I had to admit that I’d never heard of that band or Mr. Barzelay, but he was a solo singer with electric guitar. His tone was clean and Jazzy with no distortion on the guitar, but his vocalizing was fascinating and idiosyncratic. He tended to proffer singing laced with falsetto expression vocals and he did something I’d never seen any singer do before. He would slacken his face and shake his head rapidly for a unique vocal attack. I described it to my new friend in the seat adjacent as “oscillating” as we discussed him between songs and she was inclined to agree. His songs vacillated between a puckish sense of humor and a knack for pathos. I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone quite like him before and by the time he wrapped up his modest six or seven songs, I could have gone a few more rounds with him.

And yet I had been awake since 2:30 the night before and was feeling it by then. So I welcomed the arrival of David J; the reason I was here, after all. From when we entered the living room earlier, I noted that there was a double bass present along with the small amps and mic and gathered that there would be some extra accompaniment tonight. But not for a while as David J alone walked to the front of the living room. The guitar amp then had warmed up sufficiently enough for Mr. Barzeley to re-adjust the amp’s settings for David’s guitar. Which was seriously overdriven at first to widespread shock. Then with the beast tamed, David opened the set with the beguiling “If Muzak Be the Junk Food Of Love” which I could not help but singing along with.

But if I had been setting myself up for a night leaning heavily on the superb new album I would be in for a surprise as that turned out to be the only song from it in the eclectic set list. I had to admit that I was enchanted by the appearance of “Goth Girls In Southern California” which had been a highlight of the earlier show I’d seen. I had assumed that it was from his then new “Vagabond Songs” album but in fact it was from a compilation CD issued in 2003 called “Embrace Your Dysfunction.” Which had recently been reissued in an expended edition by Cleopatra Records! Memo to self! David’s introduction to that song had been memorable as he had extolled the subjects of the song but he also took no small delight in relating copy from his wife’s woman’s magazine on the coffee table jump started the writing of “New Woman Is An Attitude.”

As the evening progressed, David was not shy from picking from outside of his solo canon for the right song in the set list. I was happy to hear that he was giving a song he had co-written with the great Paul [B-Movie] Statham on Paul’s second Dark Flowers album from last year got an airing this night. He set up the origins of “The Star’s Stand In” before playing the melancholy song. And he added a song from his period in The Jazz Butcher with a performance of “Vienna Song” that he sardonically dedicated to the late Pat Fish. Ironically, it was a cut from after his stint with the band.

A pair of Love + Rockets songs manifested in the set this evening. “Dog End Of A Day Gone By” was a welcome fit to the show and “Rain Bird” had been a highlight of the 2017 show, but the carpet on the wooden floor here precluded the audience from adding their stomp to the song in the requisite break as they had years ago, sadly. It was at the show’s midpoint when David J called his longtime friend and bassist to the front of the room to play on the rest of the songs. Tony Green added lovely, dark complexity to the remaining program and his presence was most strongly felt when J. played “The Day That David Bowie Died” from “Vagabond Songs.” Because in the middle of that song it was now a medley with Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side” where he got to play that famous Herbie Flowers bass line [undoubled, of course] while the audience filled in with the famous backing vocals. It was definitely a magical moment and the segue back into the earlier song was almost cause for regret. And that wouldn’t be the only Lou Reed material to evince in the performance that night.

Two newer additions to the artist’s songbook were both pointed and topical. “The Rape Of The Rose Garden” was a prescient lament for the death of democracy in the metaphor of the removal of the White House rose garden and crabapple orchard during the first Trump regime. At the time it might have seemed like melodramatic overreach. Not now. And the brand new “ICE Too Cold To Thaw” song had been written the last time he was in Asheville and found himself downtown in the middle of a protest demonstration that paradoxically, he said felt of good fellowship.

The evening also featured a cover of Tom Waits’ “Dead And Lovely” which absolutely benefited from the gravitas of Mr. Green’s double bass that was on the original recording. Then for the encore Eef Barzelay and the hostess joined the duo onstage for another song. Which J. introduced by way of some serious name dropping; citing Nico’s declaration to him which revealed that her favorite Velvet Underground song had been “I’ll Be Your Mirror.”

As the evening wound down the soft landing of the night occurred and it was getting close to midnight. Mr. Barzelay was making his way back to the “stage” and David J sat in the front row but I was running on fumes by then. As much as I would have wanted to participate in an aftershow I was going to get about five hours of sleep at most and two nights in a row that’s harsh on this old guy. I wanted to say goodnight to the two new friends I’d made and Chandra and I resolved to have coffee/tea in the near future and discuss more music. The lady I’d met was getting ready to move out of the area to join her new husband in another state so we may not see any more shows together but we can always touch base.

I’d really enjoyed touching base once more with David J. His current US tour is making its way to Chapel Hill/Carrboro’s Dex Fest 2 on Saturday, June 27th, where he is one of the featured acts with what he’s claiming is a special show so if you are planning on going, don’t miss whatever it may be. Currently sated, I will be needing some more of David J’s soulful music some time in the near future. Joins then when we check up with this humane and intriguing artist.

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