A.A. Bondy & Dent May @ 400 Bar
A.A. Bondy
Thursday night the 400 Bar showcased two bands who both play music that could be described as folk music in an macro sense, but choose very different ways to present their music. Converted folky A.A. Bondy (from his younger, more punk days) brought along Dent May, whose tongue-in-cheek folk pop served as an interesting comparison for the more serious Bondy and his band. While they choose different paths to ultimately convey their message, both men led their tight sounding bands to great sets for a fairly full 400 Bar.
Dent May
Dent May
Dent May
Dent May, who recently released his strong debut album The Good Feeling Music of Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele, looked every bit the part of his songs as he climbed on stage for his opening set. With his sweater over a collared shirt and his giant rimmed glasses, he was the epitome of the undersexed, over-educated characters he sings about on his debut album. May served as the pied piper of his four piece band, who all seemed equally invested in the characters in the songs. Loner preppy clothes or not, the band came out swinging with one the best songs on the album, “Oh Paris!,” and never looked back. The arrangements were more loose and driving than on the record, and May was a consummate showman with his ukulele, even jumping off the bass drum at the end of the set. He played through most of the record, along with a new song and a cover of the Prince written “When You Were Mine,” which fit in seamlessly with his sad sappy sucker songs of lost love and rejection. The set, which left smiles on the faces of the growing crowd, bared little resemblance to the more serious and straightforward set that was to come from the headliner AA Bondy.
Dent May
Dent May
Dent May
Dent May
Dent May
The last time I saw A.A. Bondy, he was playing a solo acoustic set, opening for Bon Iver at the First Avenue mainroom. Unfortunately for Bondy, the sold out crowd that night seemed more interested in talking over his set and getting more drinks before Vernon and Co. hit the stage, so I was looking forward to seeing him in a more accommodating environment. In addition to an audience who was there to support him, he also helped his own cause by bringing along a bass player and a drummer. In addition to the new support, Bondy also brought along an electric guitar to mix in with his acoustic numbers. His first two songs were driving, electric folk songs that showed right off the bat that this would be a different kind of set than the last time I saw him. He still had his straightforward lyrical content, but the electric growl of his guitar along with the driving rhythm of the accompaniment added a nice touch to the songs from his 2007 debut American Hearts. He still had his trusty acoustic and harmonica, and he played a strong set that went back and forth between the two sounds (a la Dylan in the mid 1960s) that kept the crowd rapped around his finger. In addition to the slightly reworked material from American Hearts, he also played some new material which should be coming out soon.
A.A. Bondy
A.A. Bondy
A.A. Bondy
In the end, both mens’ adaptation of “folk” music turned out to be a great success. While May seemed adverse to being serious and had a more fun approach to the show, Bondy seemed deadly serious in both his material and aesthetic. It is always nice to have bands pick openers that are not carbon copies of their sound, and Thursday night showed that two different styles can compliment each other and make for a really great show.
A.A. Bondy
A.A. Bondy
A.A. Bondy
[Review by Josh Keller, photos by Jon Behm.]
A.A. Bondy: Purchase | MySpace | Wikipedia
Dent May: Purchase | MySpace | Wikipedia