Slim Cessna’s Auto Club @ DC9 4/4/06
Slim, where have you been the last two years? When last Slim visited DC i made my way to the Black Cat backstage somewhat randomly, and was rewarded with an incredible show that was spiritual despite it’s religion.
There were a couple line up changes since their last visit, but all was well. The sound was excellent, and even though Slim said he was hoarse, and was sipping water constantly, but whatever difference there may have been, it didn’t take away from the performance.
The Auto Club’s return didn’t coincide with any official release, but i hadn’t picked up a copy of their most recent album, so there were several song i was unfamiliar with. Most of my fave’s from Please and Thank You got a go. I was disappointed that i didn’t get an epically long version of “Hold my Head”, but it was more than made up for by a keyboard heavy outro on “Pine Box”. “Goddamn Blue Yodel #7″ and “Last Song about Satan” both lived up to expectations. I was also disappointed to realize afterward that they hadn’t played “Unto the Day”.
Some of the new tracks i was already familiar with. “This is How We Do Things in the Country” has been available as a download from the band’s website, and was even better live as i expected. That track, along with “Jesus is in my Body” and “He, Roger Williams” are also available on the SCAC myspace page, where live versions are offered. They were all played, and were all excellent, with “Roger Williams” being the expected closer to the night. They were all awesome.
SCAC understands Christian faith well enough to be confused by it, and their intuitive understanding permeates their tracks. (Edit: That sentence is lame, and yes i mean for this to be visible.) It is music that believes in ’something’, but has never got a satisfactory answer to what that ’something’ is and creates a new God, a new Jesus, or a new Satan with every track.
I cannot think of any other bands i know that compare with the Auto Club. The best comparison i can think of is not a band, but an artist. I feel comfortable calling Slim Cessna’s Auto Club the Hieronymus Bosch of the indie country rock scene. ”The enigmatic and strange fantasies that people the work of Bosch earned him enormous fame even in his own lifetime, and his creations were widely imitated.” I can only hope that the auto club will be similarly rewarded for their strange and enigmatic fantasies some day.
And finally, on the topic of art, i had the opportunity after the show to thank John Rumley for having created the “Jesus & Mary double-neck,” simply one of the most beautiful pieces of art i’ve seen. Beyond having the image of Jesus or Mary, depending on the light, it also is upholstered in red velvet. A relic worthy of building a church around. I actually asked how much it would cost to have one made, and was surprised by the low figure. I don’t play guitar, but i hope to offset Mr. Rumley’s rent some day in the future.
—Post edited for crappy writing.