High Bias stagestruck

THE PERNICE BROTHERS/SHANE BARTELL
@The Mercury, Austin, TX
June 28, 2003
Boston's Pernice Brothers are the proud papas of three pristinely crafted, starkly moving pop records, plus the pseudonymous Chappaquiddick Skyline album and Big Tobacco, an alleged solo record by bandleader Joe Pernice. All are masterfully written and perfectly produced, landmark pop opuses that sound like the perfect blend of Nick Drake, Jimmy Webb and the Beatles. The records are so good and so well-made, in fact, that it casts doubt on the band's ability to cut the mustard live. Will this kind of gently melancholy pop work on stage as well as it does in the studio?

As it happens, it works quite nicely, thank you. The band was louder, of course, as is always the case in the studio-to-stage transition, and Pernice's vocals were rougher in response. Guitarist Peyton Pinkerton indulged in more effects, adding a psychedelic edge to many of the songs that bespeaks a direction the group might consider exploring further. Drummer Pat Berkley (subbing for regular drummer Mike Belitsky, apparently still on tour with his other band the Sadies) pushed the band harder than usual; his enthusiasm at the trap set was infectious. Pernice even let a smile slip through his seemingly somber demeanor; it became clear that no matter how sad the song, simply playing it onstage with a kicking band behind him dispelled even the thickest gloom.

Of course, it helps that the Pernice Brothers, when it comes to material from which to choose for a set, possess an embarrassment of riches. The group (which also consisted of bassist/producer Thom Monahan and keyboarist/guitarist James Woodbury, replacing regular keyboardist Laura Stein for this jaunt) played nine of the ten songs on its latest LP Yours, Mine & Ours, which is a beautiful thing, as that stunning record is the band's best yet. Rockers like "Waiting For the Universe," "One Foot in the Grave" (which opened the main set) and "The Weakest Shade of Blue" (which closed it) were propulsive powerhouses without losing their melodic sparkle, while ballads like "Judy" and "Blinded By the Stars" (performed by Pernice alone on acoustic guitar during the second encore) practically wallowed in their own shimmering beauty. "How to Live Alone" and "Baby in Two" (perhaps Pernice's finest song to date—the combination of its minor-key melody with lyrics like "I wish I knew a simple way to reach you/I'd be the king if I could say to you/'Cut the baby in two'" is devastating) simply shone like suns; these kind of midtempo tunes often fall flat in the hands of a lesser band, but the Pernice Brothers know exactly how to treat such songs: like queens.

Of course, the band also sprinkled songs from its back catalog into the mix. While there was nothing from Chappaquiddick Skyline or Big Tobacco, the band executed plenty of gems from the other official Pernice Brothers albums, Overcome By Happiness ("Crestfallen," "Monkey Suit," the title track) and The World Won't End ("Our Time Has Passed," "The Ballad of Bjorn Borg," "Working Girls [Sunlight Shines]," a stunning "She Heightened Everything"). Plus Pernice delighted the crowd by pulling out a couple of songs from the catalog of his old band the Scud Mountain Boys, one during the first encore and the second during the solo acoustic second encore. Finally, the group surprised everyone with a faithful, soulful cover of the Pretenders' "Talk of the Town," done, explained Pernice, in preparation for a gig in London with Chrissie Hynde's troop. Pernice expressed hope that Hynde would consent to perform the song with them; if she's got half a brain left after all these years, she'll do it in a heartbeat and pray that some of the Pernice Brothers' wonderful magic rubs off.

Opening act Shane Bartell has been a mover and shaker in Austin's pop scene for years, and it's easy to hear why. His carefully-composed songs and keening, Thom Yorke-like vocals make him a standout in a scene that often goes for the easy power pop melody. Even played solo acoustic (an unusual avenue for him, apparently), his numbers distinguished themselves as special. Bartell is just now starting to make noise outside of Central Texas; based on the evidence here, it may not be long before folks all over bend an ear to his powerful pop. Michael Toland

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