Friday night was a very unusual night at Largo. Not that any evening in Los Angeles’ best venue is ever uneventful, but Friday felt strange from the moment I took my seat. Jon Brion’s usual set-up–a drum set, bass, guitar rack and his trusty piano on stage right–was transformed, the rhythm section replaced by a second, larger piano. His looping pedals were notably absent. He took the stage in a pinstriped three-piece suit and performed the only completely acoustic set I’ve ever seen him play, running through a handful of unreleased (LP2?) tracks such as “Please Stay Away From Me” and “The Love Of My Life So Far” (played gorgeously on a nylon-string guitar) as well as several that I’d never heard. He played one song — “It Should’ve Been With You,” perhaps? — that he said no one ever had, though its high piano melody seemed familiar.
All that would’ve been treat enough, but he was joined mid-set by Fiona Apple (!) for the duo’s usual jazz standards and an exuberant, if imprecise, version of When the Pawn... classic “A Mistake.” Largo is a place where it’s O.K. to make mistakes; it’s almost better that way. It reminds you that the geniuses you see on stage are still human, an epiphany I had for the first time ever during a Jon Brion set when he casually told Apple he didn’t know the harmonies on a particular song. I’ve probably seen him a dozen times since 2004 — the thought of him missing a page of his musical encyclopedia seemed about as likely as faster-than-light particles. It appears we live in the future.
It happened again during one of his several encores, when he worked his way through what he could remember of “Song for Caden,” from the Synecdoche, New York soundtrack. “I haven’t played that since I recorded it,” he told the crowd apologetically. Then he turned in a transcendent Thelonius Monk version of Kiss’ “Rock and Roll All Night.” Brion may be a mere mortal after all, but he’s still the best one we have.
Videos rarely emerge from Largo (and Rawkblog does not endorse taking them!), but whenever they do, they’re always so remarkable that I can’t help but repost. Here’s a killer version of Fiona Apple’s 1999 classic “Fast As You Can,” which probably has my favorite bridge of all time.
While Fool’s Gold’s Lewis Pesacov did a fine job on Best Coast’s Crazy For You, I can’t complain at his replacement: Rawkblog hero Jon Brion will team up with Bethany and Snacks for LP2, a move that shouldn’t be surprising considering the band’s recent infatuation with Largo. Per Best Coast’s Facebook, recording starts in L.A. “in a few weeks.”
Brion recently scored Miranda July’s The Future and is currently at work on 2012 release ParaNorman.
Monday: Big Moves wrap up their residency at the Bootleg. I caught them last week; expect them to go out with a bang. Ben Folds plays a last-minute show at Bardot.
Tuesday: Country legend Emmylou Harris plays the Greek Theatre. Bring a hankie. More after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
The LAIKA/Focus Features film, due in August 2012, will follow in the footsteps of the studios’ excellent Coraline, which was also stop-motion and 3-D. But not scored by Jon Brion.
Says Jon, per the press release: “I’ve been waiting for the right animation project for some time now. This production and the people at LAIKA and Focus have an inspiring amount of heart. One can’t help being swept up in the passion.”
Looking forward to it. Brion most recently scored Miranda July’s The Future, due in limited release this July; he’ll play his usual Largo gig on June 24, with a bonus show on the 25th.
Here are my L.A. concert recommendations, short and sweet, for the week. Only things I actually would like to see. On days with multiple listings, they’re in descending order of priority. Click below to add the ongoing calendar to your Google Calendar, iCal, etc. Read the rest of this entry »
Fiona Apple, Jon Brion on new Buddy Holly tribute compilation:Rave On will also gather Paul McCartney, Florence + The Machine and Modest Mouse, among others, but I’m most looking forward to hearing a studio take on Apple and Brion’s “Everyday” — a cover that’s graced Largo’s hallowed halls before. It’s due June 28 on Concord. [TwentyFourBit]
Jon Brion goes back to The Future: In some older JB news, the musician’s next score will be for Miranda July’s The Future, due in theaters on July 29.
Ryan Adams merch for sale: Some vintage tour posters and extra copies of his Record Store Day double single, Class Mythology, were put on his online store this afternoon, though nearly all of it appears sold out already. [Pax Am]
Jon Brion joined the Punch Brothers (that’s their Chris Thile blazing away in this clip) earlier this month for a rare night outside of Largo — opening himself up to camera phones. The result? Actual documentation of this FUCKING JAM. [Via Fuck Yeah Jon Brion]
