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Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore (Dear Companion tour)
Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis MN 4.2.10
Once upon a time the Cedar Cultural Center had an early bedtime and a comfortable elastic waistband. It was a place where white liberal Ravi Shankar fans could gather to sip tea, discuss local politics, and crazily tap a foot to African drumming. Alas, times have changed. The parents must now compete with their own troubled spawn, as the Cedar’s made a point of booking more Pitchfork-minded acts like KaiserCartel and Beach House. Of course the energy level still peaks at “Peter, Paul and Mary reunion tour,” but the pants are exponentially tighter.
That being said, Friday’s show proved among other things that it’s quite hip to be square, or at least sporting square-shaped eyewear. In roughly an hour and a half, Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin Moore, and their band of multitalented musicians achieved the nearly-impossible: they aroused an audience of NPR listeners (without mentioning health reform or eco-friendly laundry detergent). It was quite the sight, a sea of healthy, shining faces in varying shades of glee, mouths slightly agape like the proverbial kid in a candy store.
Good thing for captive audiences because the night did not start with a bang. Both Moore and Sollee smiled sweetly from the stage while painstakingly tuning their instruments at the rate of growing grass. Besides the obligatory catcall from the back (“nice cello!”), the crowd watched in silence. It was weird. Sollee went on to explain that he was using a borrowed cello since his own was damaged on the road, and also that the band was still “getting to know one another.” However, one verse into “Something, Somewhere, Sometime” it was clear the only missing piece of the “know” was theoretical (and possibly biblical).
The beauty of the Dear Companion tour is the audible and visible camaraderie between musicians. Everyone equally contributed to the set, juggling instrumental and vocal duties like a creatively gifted socialist nation. Strong performances included the sultry title track “Dear Companion,” Moore’s quietly indignant “Flyrock Blues,” and an a capella version of “Jubilee.” Despite consistent crowd enthusiasm, the highlight of the show was during “Bury Me With My Car,” when percussionist Dan Dorff stepped out from behind his kit and unleashed the fury. Trading metal for flesh, the former STOMP member displayed a terrifying amount of agility as he stomped and slapped and whooped his way into Cedar history. Watch and become a believer.
The evening ended with an encore “fakeout” and the hot, hot, hot “How to See the Sun Rise” from Sollee’s solo album, Learning to Bend. Moore and Sollee just wrapped up the tour, but be sure to check out Dear Companion (full album review here), and support the cause that inspired their collaboration (Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining).
Dear Companion Tour:
Ben Sollee: vocals, cello
Daniel Martin Moore: vocals, guitar, banjo
Dan Dorff: percussion, keys
Cheyenne Mize: violin, guitar, vocals
04/09/2010 01:31:50 ♥ lara (
) ♥ bensollee.com/myspace/twitter ♥ danielmartinmoore.com/myspace
