Guest Review: Phosphorescent and Caveman, 9:30 Club, Jan 22, 2014 and Jason Isbell, Jan 28

I  want to pass on a mini-review of the Phosphorescent show I saw with my husband, sister and brother-in-law at the 9:30 Club a couple weeks ago. by guest blogger Jill Werwinski

Phosphorescent, 9:30 Club, 1-22-14

A few of us had seen his show at the beginning of his tour back in October and were disappointed in the performance. The vibe for this show was totallly different. Matthew Houck came out all glammed out in a skin-tight white suit and bedazzled boots with a shimmery curtain as backdrop. He was much more relaxed and engaging this time. Actually it was clear he was feeling no pain if you know what I mean and there were a few moments when he was dancing around the stage with his back to the audience where I feared he might inadvertently end up crowd-surfing. So though performance-wise the show was an improvement I was turned off by how many times he referred to that lackluster October show ("So nice of so many of you to show up to this show." "Wow, who would've thought DC would come through for me tonight.") seeming to blame that disaster on the audience's poor reception. (When actually I went back and read some reviews of that show that complained mightily of the Rock 'n Roll Hotel's poor sound mixing) I kind of felt like yelling something to the effect of how he should be lucky any of us actually bothered to pay money to see him in concert again after that disaster.

The opener was Caveman who were excellent and will undoubtedly be headlining in the near future. Reminded me of Local Natives but less lush.

Phosphorescent also suffered in comparison to Jason Isbell who I saw the week after also at the 9:30 Club. The tickets were my Christmas present to my husband but I was totally won over. Isbell (formerly of Drive-By Truckers, recently sober) was such a talent, great stage presence, charming personality, appeared sincerely grateful for the audience reception. A bonus to the stage show is that his wife sings back-up and plays violin. Their chemistry, particularly on some of the quieter, emotional songs, really added something to the show. Several of the band members are life-long friends of Isbell too so it was a cozy family affair (compare/contrast to Phosphorescent's hired hands). Honestly I'll be first in line to buy tickets anytime he comes back to town.

Jeremy Messersmith with opener Tristen at Jammin' Java on Feb 7, 2014

I love Jeremy Messersmith. He's a singer-songwriter with a wry sense of humor in his lyrics. Eric, Genevieve and I all went to his house concert the last time he came through town and it was magical - my best show of the year. This show was also very good. I bought tickets right when they went on sale and was able to snag actual table-side seats, which was great, except that the tall people standing on the floor in front of us weren't quite low enough to see over easily, so I ended up  tilting and turning my head a lot for a better view. We ended up seated with 3 people who ALSO went to the house concert and they were fun to talk to.

Tristen, Jammin' Java, 2-7-14

Tristen, the opener, has a very good voice, but I found her songs uninspired, and her banter HORRIBLE.  She heckled the crowd about not spending enough on merch before her set was even finished. Anyone who was considering buying her merchandise was completely turned off by her bitchiness.

Jeremy Messersmith, Jammin' Java, 2-7-14

Jeremy Messersmith brought a 3-piece backup band on tour with him this time. Some of his songs were enhanced by the band, others sounded better in the original solo-guitar. He did a lot of his hits, and plenty from the new love songs album, out this month.  I LOVED several of the new songs.  It's Only Dancing and I Wanna Be Your One Night Stand were very memorable. He did a segment in the middle that was solo with his guitar (so they don't kick him out of the singer-songwriter union, he said). His banter was engaging. It was a great show.  I highly recommend him.