The San Diego Show Review: THE LIMBECK TOUR SMOKES SOMA ON 420

May 14, 2007 by PT Rothschild.

San Diego, CA - One of the more interesting but subtle things that happens when you start covering the ‘scene’ is you pass through ‘the wall’. The ‘wall’ is that space between you and the artist(s) separating them onstage from those in the audience. I am very fortunate to know many artists on a personal level along with appreciating them, like any fan, on a musical scale. However, one of the bands that has the thinnest ‘wall’ is LIMBECK. Even watching the band, especially Robb and Pat, you feel like these guys are playing in your front room for you and the friends you told to come over and party. That is how much the band, and their listeners are enjoying themselves. When you throw in Justin (bass) and Jon (drums), stir in a little ‘Spacey Casey’ on slide and other sound effects, you have a recipe for a really good ‘shew’, as Ed Sullivan would have said if he was still around and at Soma on Friday this ‘420’.

The LIMBECK likeability starts tonight with Patrick sitting in on keyboards with the first band, THE FORECAST, on one song. It rocks, and after the band themselves take a breath to say, ‘Wow, we’re not used to doing that song with keyboards, whew!’ Next up was ‘Spacey Casey’ and the band he is a member of, HOT ROD CIRCUIT, and more of Pat’s infectious stand-in musical jamming accompanied by this big grin expression of enjoyment. You would be hard pressed not to like any band who had a member in it that was having this much fun onstage. Casey Prestwood’s lead licks add another layer of song gratification to a number of the band’s more commercial tunes. LIMBECK, third, is headlining.

As a musician added for this tour, Casey’s pedal steel slide guitar adds a definite country twang to LIMBECK’s live show sound not found in the selections he plays on in the newly, just released Doghouse Records self titled (‘Yellow Bear’) CD (review to follow shortly, keep it here). But folks, if LIMBECK’s songs are reasons to buy any and everything they’ve ever put out on plastic, LIMBECK ‘live’ is the raison d’être to hitch a ride, take a bus, hail a cab, or drive to wherever they are playing close to you on this tour. I’ve already mentioned Pat, who ‘had me at hello’ when he played his acoustic twelve string, accompanying Robb on his six string, outside Madlins, behind the loaded van trailer one long past Wednesday night, while they both crooned a couple of songs to a group of young girl fans, who also sang the words a cappella off-key. It was a true Kodak moment, and indicative of the fun the band has with their fans. They could be in your basement playing and not be more fun. By now Pat is as fluid as a cold beer on a hot day as he pops in his fill-in lead guitar licks, and rocking on stage with his friend and the vocal lead/rhythm guitar, Robb, whose openness to entertain and connect to the crowd is natural. Justin, standing in the shadows, seems to be more dancing with his bass on the second riser, than trying to anchor any song’s bass line in timing with Jon’s animated drumming who’s also back in the shadows on a drum riser.

Though some songs live now have that country twang, the songs are not country songs themselves. In fact, like a number of tunes you hear today, LIMBECK songs are hard to classify beyond catchy, memorable, and very pleasant to listen to. Many of them have either a present urgency about a common experience, or cull some philosophical desire that is universal to us all i.e. (‘I just want be content, wherever I am’). These ideas are musically spun by Robb’s smooth, slightly nasal-toned voice that gives it a ‘boy next door’ harmony. His Midwestern good looks don’t hurt either, him being the ‘frontman’ and all. Joining the boys onstage on this night with a wide smile parting his Ned Flanders’ ‘soup strainer’ (‘mustache’ for you Simpson-ly challenged readers), on one song, playing the small tam, was none other than the one and only, Jon Cheese, the coolest road manager since I rolled with THE SPOONBILLS way back in the day (see archive, ‘I’ll have a LIMBECK with Cheese’).

I suppose if I have to try and put LIMBECK in some perspective musically beyond one of the most fun bands to see and enjoy live, I’d have to say mix Marshalls, Crenshaw with Tucker, and add some .38 Special to make the guitars snap! This ‘420’ night as I smiled (and grinned) with a gaggle of dancing girls over to my right, LIMBECK played some of the new material off the latest CD, of which, ‘Bird Problems’, is a real keeper, and for those ‘insiders’ who know, there is the shirt to match. But the crowd, who shouted out many of the band’s next songs in advance- who’s got that crystal ball? - got to hear the songs they came for like; ‘Brand New Orange’, ‘Silver Things’, ‘Julia’ and ‘Ohio’. Catch these guys on a tour stop near you, and get your LIMBECK with Spacey Cheese. You’ll be glad you did.

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