Posted Oct. 24, 2007

Matt Nathanson won’t stop believing
Cary Brothers and Kate Voegele try to match up

Jon Taylor l managing editor
jtaylor@smcvt.edu

Matt Nathanson is the consummate performer.

When he doesn’t put on a great show, it is usually caused by some outside force – i.e. sickness, rude crowds, etc. But when Nathanson gets a good crowd – say one in Vermont – the 33-year-old independent singer/songwriter will blow you away with his anthems of lost love, summer days and heartbreak worlds.

Matt Nathanson belts out "Car Crash," the first single from Some Mad Hope (Ray Hart, photo)

Entering Higher Ground’s Showcase Lounge to the ridiculously funny “Business Time,” a Flight of the Conchords track about routine sex, Nathanson looked assured as the crowd embraced him with loud “woos” and raucous applause.  Launching into “Car Crash,” the first single off of his new record Some Mad Hope, Nathanson grasped this acceptance and energetically sang and struck his guitar in time with the furious drums that the song demands.  As the breakdown approached with its difficult octave range, he hit all of the far-reaching notes, ensuring that we were in for the real deal.

As usual, Nathanson littered his 21-song-set with random commentary, ranging from the banal – “This song is dedicated to Dog the Bounty Hunter” – to the hilarious – “This is about making sweet love in air conditioning.”  But unlike many shows inundated with this chitchat, Nathanson let his performance speak for itself.

His four-piece band (with Nathanson on rhythm guitar) was loud and powerful, particularly on confessional rockers like “Falling Apart,”(click to view video) which I previously called the best song on Some Mad Hope.  This track in a live setting was ethereal, insisting that the crowd surrender to staccato rhythm and an expanding wall of treble.  When Nathanson stripped down during the set, just a man with his guitar, he proved his worth as a touring musician, performing a stunning cover of Patty Griffin’s “Forgiveness,” a rarity that left the crowd silent.

The most entertaining moment of the set came with the arrival of openers Cary Brothers and Kate Voegele (with their bands) onstage to join Nathanson on an outrageously spot-on cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.”  The crowd appreciated this throwback and joined in as the gaggle of musicians partied to this sacred song from the '80s. 

In an unusual twist at his shows, Nathanson didn’t use the covers to draw the crowd in; he used them to amuse himself, smiling throughout Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” and Rick Springfield’s “Jesse’s Girl” teases.  When he returned to his own songs, Nathanson really brought it home, ending with the wistful ballad “All We Are.”  As the couples swayed and sang along, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy.

Cary Brothers sings his banalities (Ray Hart, photo)

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Cary Brothers’ definition of “sing” must be different from everyone else’s. 

When he took the stage in the Showcase Lounge, you would have sworn that Brothers knew how to rock – looking like a haggard cross between Jesus and one of the Geico car insurance cavemen (and we all know that those Cro-Magnons can party).

Unfortunately, as his set began, Brothers became a wuss, singing weak lines like:

‘Cause blue eyes, you’re all that I need
‘Cause blue eyes, you’re the sweet to my mean

Even worse, Brothers’ breathy tenor vocal made it virtually impossible to understand what was being sung, even when he over-enunciated these high school poetry-style banalities.

Voegele's and Brothers' bands join Nathanson and crew for a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" (Ray Hart, photo)

The only good part of Brothers’ set was his onstage banter, which wasn’t remotely as amusing as Nathanson’s, but funny nonetheless.  When Brothers used a story about two drunk girls and a triple kiss to lure the crowd back into his insipid set, I felt bad.  Where Nathanson uses witty repartee to entertain, Brothers was merely trying to be noticed by the concert-goers again.  In predictable fashion, this effort proved feudal.

The audience was collectively disinterested in the music, which put almost everyone into a deep slumber.  Even the guitarist seemed like he might fall over as Brothers’ sang stagnant, repetitive acoustic folk that took the worst of Cat Stevens and U2 and smashed them together.

Cary, please.  Next time, just stay home and let your guitarist take a nap.

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Now, I’m not the biggest fan of female singer/songwriters, but Michelle Branch-Vanessa Carlton hybrid Kate Voegele firmly planted her catchy tracks in my head for days after the show.

Kate Voegele sings Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" (Ray Hart, photo)

Voegele, a 20-year-old Ohio native, opened the night’s festivities, showcasing her penchant for acoustic pop-rock and bittersweet lyrical stylings.  Playing a stripped-down set with lead and rhythm guitars and electronic drums, she kept the mood light with upbeat numbers like “It’s Only Life” and “Only Fooling Myself.”  Some of these tracks bordered on pappy sentimentality, but Voegele rediscovered her stride in the quieter moments of her set.

The ballad “Wish You Were” was a real slayer, grounding difficult feelings about a former lover in realistic terms:

Memories they're following me like a shadow now
And I'm dreaming, and I've already suffered the fever of disbelief

I've seen your act and I know all the facts
I'm still in love with who I wish you were

Voegele displayed the full range of her strong alto vocals with a cover of the Leonard Cohen classic “Hallelujah.”  Although the song is overplayed by the singer/songwriter crowd, Voegele gave it a soulful edge not always heard in the plethora of these cuts.

When she nailed it, she really nailed it, but when she floundered, her age showed.  Give Voegele a few more years on the road, and she’ll be a radio superstar.