Positive Bookends

*The Positive Jam [The Hold Steady/The Felice Brothers/Deer Tick/The Rural Alberta Advantage] @ Stewart Park (Ithaca)/9.6.09

Two shows by The Hold Steady in Ithaca provided ideal bookends to this summer’s concert series. In June the band played to a sold-out crowd in the intimate setting of Castaways and in September they headlined the (hopefully) first annual Positive Jam on the banks of Cayuga Lake in Stewart Park. The Jam brought four emergent bands (The Hold Steady, The Felice Brothers, Deer Tick and The Rural Alberta Advantage) together for a day of music in an idyllic setting.

Following local band Caution Children (I arrived just after their set), The Rural Alberta Advantage opened the day with a set composed primarily of songs from their debut album Hometowns, a 2008 independent release that has been re-released by the Saddle Creek label this summer. The Canadian three piece played a strong set, including: The Ballad Of The RAA, Don’t Haunt This Place, Frank AB, Dethbridge In Lethbridge and Edmonton. The band dedicated a song to those famed Albertans the Edmonton Oilers, either a sign that hockey season is just around the corner or just evidence of the band’s Canadian roots (...if I remember correctly, none of the American bands mentioned anything about the current baseball season or the pending football season). The band also commented on the contrast of the often dark subject matter of their lyrics with the sunny summer weather at a festival named positive. The RAA’s propulsive rhythms and acoustic driven melodies provided a good start to the event and I certainly recommend Hometowns to the uninitiated.

Deer Tick followed with set of folk rock with a bit more snarl. Supporting their second album, Born On Flag Day, the band eased through a mid-afternoon set that allowed them to diversify with covers of the legend Townes Van Zandt and the Mexican folk song made famous by Ritchie Valens, La Bamba. The crowd had been supportive, yet restrained, to that point in the day but La Bamba struck a chord and initiated the traditional hippie dancing familiar to all who have attended shows in Ithaca (and, of course, any similar cities). The stage banter from singer John McCauley was largely inaudible mumbling, but the music, like Easy and Song About A Man, outweighed any unheard commentary. Like RAA’s Hometowns, Deer Tick’s Born On Flag Day will be contender on the Best of 2009 Music List.

Next up, The Felice Brothers returned to Ithaca for the third time in the last few years to build on their already impressive live reputation. The band hit the stage with a few members wearing face paint, I guess in lieu of a light show (I must have missed the arts & crafts tent) and never lacked for energy during their set. They played a number of song’s from their solid 2009 release, Yonder Is The Clock, stood on amps, engaged in an old-timey folk rap to introduce the band and to conclude the set, violinist/washboard player/part-time rapper Farley dove into the drum set head first. Set highlights included: Frankie’s Gun, Take This Bread, Penn Station, Whiskey In My Whiskey and multiple songs about chickens.

Finally, it was time for The Hold Steady to bring the event home. There are few certainties in life, but at this point I am convinced of the certainty of seeing The Hold Steady live - they never disappoint. The band, in a thoughtful move, played a set that repeated only a few songs from their show at Castaways in June. The band dutifully and appropriately opened with Positive Jam, from their debut album, and then wasted no time hitting high gear with Constructive Summer and Multitude Of Casualties. The band played some new material, Our Whole Lives, Heaven Is Whenever, Separate Vacations and Goin’ On A Hike, building anticipation for their next album but also played a sampling of their entire catalogue, such as highlights: Magazines, Yeah Sapphire, Slapped Actress, Stuck Between Stations, Chips Ahoy, Stevie Nix, You Can Make Him Like You, Southtown Girls, Lord I’m Discouraged and How A Resurrection Really Feels.

I remember just a few years ago hoping to see a handful of good shows throughout a year in the area, and now The Hold Steady has played Ithaca twice this year, sharing the stage with three impressive and rising acts in one afternoon. The concert lineup in Ithaca has improved vastly in the last couple years and thanks, of course, goes to Dan Smalls Presents. Check out the following link for the DSP review of The Positive Jam, which includes pictures and videos of the event:

http://www.dansmallspresents.com/smallsworld/?p=3423

Also, while there check out the calendar of shows coming up this fall, showcasing the likes of: Sufjan Stevens, The Mountain Goats, Built To Spill, Lyle Lovett, Califone, Dean & Britta, Dan Deacon, Mike Doughty, St. Vincent, The Meat Puppets and They Might Be Giants.