I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: April 5, 2019] And the Kids

Almost exactly one year ago I saw And the Kids open for Lucy Dacus.  They put on a great show, but I had heard that they would be even more wild if they didn’t have the time constraints of that show (there were two full sets that night, so the earlier one was kind of rushed).  Back in November they opened another show that I wanted to get to but couldn’t.  But here they were headlining, which is what I really wanted to see.

I bought tickets as soon as they went on sale.  But then I found out that Voivod was playing the same night across town.  Voivod is a band I have loved and never saw live.  So I chose Voivod.  During the headliners, YOB, I decided if I left I could get over to Johnny Brenda’s (about 10 minutes away) in time before And the Kids started.  I listened to one heavy YOB song and then took off.  I got on street parking a block away from Johnny Brenda’s and walked in a few minutes before And the Kids were to go on.  All signs indicated that I had made the right choice.

I was surprised at how crowded it was (good for them!)  But I managed to get past the drunken clumps and got right up at the edge of the stage, but to the side–near the steps where the band comes in.  It’s not a great vantage point (and the sound really isn’t as good, but it was better than standing in the middle of tall people.

Then the band came out.  Last time And the Kids were a four-piece.  But for this show they were only a duo.  I gather the core of the group has always been Rebecca Lasaponaro on drums and Hannah Mohan on guitar and vocals.  I have yet to find out why they were touring with just the two of them and not a full band.  I’m also not exactly sure how the bass and other sounds were handled.  I know it had something to do with Lasaponaro, but whether she was triggering them live or just starting them on a laptop, I don’t know.

In some ways this hindered their improvisatory nature.  But not really, because Mohan is a born entertainer and she was a ton of fun throughout the night–and made me glad I was standing where I was.

They played eleven songs in about an hour.   Five were songs from the new album, which I hadn’t heard yet. I hadn’t heard much by them when I saw them last time either, and I feel like hearing them live–even new songs–is absolutely the way to go.  The recorded versions are good, but the don’t quite capture the vitality and energy that their live set has.

Plus, Hannah Mohan is a ton of fun.

Less fun was the staggeringly (literally) drunk woman in front of the stage.  Her boyfriend (I guess) was literally holding her up as she swayed and waved around.  She was clearly a huge fan–she knew the words when she was capable of singing them.  And she really seemed to be trying to touch Mohan.  So much so that by the end of the set she simply climbed up on stage, utterly confusing Mohan and embarrassing the hell out of herself (if video exists, which how could it not).  Mohan was polite (let’s talk after the show) and then her boyfriend dragged her away and I had a better spot for the last few songs.

The show opened with “2003” in which you can see and hear what an amazing drummer Rebecca Lasaponaro is. The song also includes a pennywhistle which Mohan played and the flung over her shoulder onto the stage behind her.

One of my favorite And the Kids songs is “I Can’t Tell What the Time Is Telling Me.”  I love the melody, I love the lyrics and when I saw them last time, I loved that Lasaponaro put her drumstick in her mouth to play the melody on glockenspiel while continuing the beat on the drums.   Well, now I love the song even more because it was during the solo that Hannah Mohan climbed down the stairs into the audience right in front of me.  She even played with her back leaning again me.  Holy crap.  Yes, I made the right choice by leaving that other show.  After hanging out for a minute or so, she climbed back on stage and sat down to play the rest, all while Lasaponaro played the glockenspiel with the drum stick in her mouth.

I like the new album a lot, but I was also happy they played older songs, like the wonderful “Glory Glory.”  And the wonderfully chanted/screamed chorus of “Cats Were Born” “Ahhhheee!  Ah Ah Ah.”

I also love when Hannah busts out the tiny guitar for the frenetic but catchy riff of “No Countries.”

The new album, When This Life is Over features the band’s dog “Little Dog” on the cover.  Little Dog made a brief appearance on stage and was surprisingly calm during all of the noise and attention.

After jamming out the fun older song “Friends Share Lovers,” they played the new single “Champagne Ladies.”  It’s incredibly catchy and poppy with the surprising chorus of “Life is a bastard, life wants to kill you, don’t get old.”

Before playing the final song, Hannah told us that she had created a spell back stage that she wanted to give to us.  She had mixed a batch of turmeric, nutmeg, lemon, yarrow, cinnamon, sage, cedar, rosemary, rose, sea salt and the ashes of a written affirmation.  She lit it on fire, stirred it around and then sprinkled it at us–my jacket smelled great for days.

The final song was “Wiser,” a rocking jam in which Hannah ended the set by soloing behind her head.

Even though I really enjoyed the metal show from earlier, this show left me in such good spirits.  It was an amazing night, and this was an amazing show.  Even as a duo, And the Kids are a great live band.

SETLIST

1. 2003 ⊗
2. Butterfingers ⊗
3. I Can’t Tell What the Time Is Telling Me æ
4. Glory Glory ⇔
5. Get To That Place ⊗
6. No Way Sit Back ⊗
7. No Countries ⇔
8. Cats Were Born ⇔
9. Friends Share Lovers æ
10. Champagne Ladies ⊗
11. Wiser ⇔

⇔ Turn to Each Other 2015
æ Friends Share Lovers 2016
⊗ When This Life Is Over 2019

 

I don’t have a setlist from last year, but I know they played at least these songs:

“I Can’t Tell What the Time is Telling Me”
“Neighbors”
“Picture”
“Creeper”
“Cats Were Born”