Musical Enlightenment

Sunny and mid-60s in St. Paul. A perfect day to lay on the grass, drink beer, and listen to great some great music at Summit's Big Brew. I got there just in time to hear Tapes 'n Tapes. They sounded fine, but I was expecting them to sound somehow bigger. The last time I heard was them was last December at the 400 Bar, pre-Pitchfork hype. The 400 seemed way too small for them then, and I thought with all of the outdoor festivals they've played since then, they would sound huge.

Next up: The Suburbs. The only stuff I knew was what was played on Minneapolis radio in the 80s: "Life is Like" and "Love is the Law. " I didn't particularly like it. I was mystified as to why they were considered so important to 80s Minneapolis scene, since they sounded so pop-lite. They played some of their early punky stuff Saturday, and now I understand! Girl Ache was a highlight for me.

I have a terrible habit of not paying attention to musicians with boring names and do not have an big appreciation for singer/songwriters, so Richard Thompson's set seemed like the perfect time to stand in the ridiculously long beer line. I wish I had paid closer attention. It was amazing how much one man playing an acoustic guitar could fill the place. And his lyrics were clever, Hots for the Smarts being one example I remember.

Soul Asylum was up next. I was curious about them, but not particulary excited as I always associate them with Runaway Train, a song I really don't like. They were awesome live. Again, now I understand the hype. I never realized how many of their songs I loved but didn't know it was them. Exhibit A: Somebody to Shove.

Things turned strange when my favorite band in the lineup entered the stage. My coworker and fellow Cake fan had told me about how he couldn't decide if he loved or hated them like, saying that he had seen at least two shows where John McCrea was a total asshole. I had only seen them once live at First Ave and they were awesome. I didn't understand what he was talking about. Again, now I know. I'm not sure if McCrea was drunk or just liked to stir up the crowd, but he was undoubtedly an asshole. Accusing fans of stealing his music and not knowing Buck Owens' music, berating them for calling out song names, whining about why in America they can't get a disco ball to work. Their set was entertaining in a totally different way than I expected, though if they hadn't played "Going the Distance" and "Never There" I might have felt differently.

Perhaps now that you've read a Big Brew review in English, you'd like to read one in French!