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It's another benefit for Allston-Brighton Free Radio at Great Scott. This one is notably less well-attended than the last one I went to, but those of us who are here are attentive and enthusiastic. Sarah Rabdau starts things off. I'm always scared when I see a laptop on stage, and my fears are certainly borne out when they trigger a thumping, soft-techno backing track. It's not bad, exactly, but I hate this; I came here to see music performed live. Then Sarah begins playing and singing, and I am mollified. She's a great singer, with a wonderful voice and a playful style that remind me of Ricki Lee Jones. The songs themselves are graceful, involving things, and she and her band play well. Lose the laptop and I'll be your fan.
Next, The Rudds insist on being introducted. ("It's in our rider.") They then start off with a fairly faithful cover of "Children of the Revolution," which sounds great, before spiralling off into their own brand of hyper-talented, overly demonstrative weirdness. Since it's supposed to be a Glam Valentine's event, they also cover Bowie, and if they're not that glamorously dressed, their music certainly has those tendencies in spades. Guitar solos are flashy, whether it's Brett Rosenberg making love to the spotlight center stage or Alan Devine hiding behind his don't-look-at-me scowl, and after a couple of relatively composed songs John Powhida starts to really go nuts with his sky-high vocal dancing. And since the audience won't come all the way to him, he takes it to the audience.
It's a tough act to follow, and Ad Frank observes that he can no longer count on being the weirdest guy on the bill. After opening with a gorgeous "U-Hauls and Ryders," (a favorite of mine) he challenges J Po to come up and sing on "Unchained Melody." Always game, he takes the stage, and if he doesn't quite know all the lyrics without a bit of prompting, it only takes a BIT of prompting, and he soars on the last chorus, especially when Henry from Aloud joins him at the mic, welcome if not exactly invited. Things calm down a bit after that, with Ad mostly just playing and singing his own stuff on keyboard and guitar. (Although "Barking Up the Wrong Girl" does get an intro from Hedwig, in honor of Glam Valentine's.) Ad's in especially fine voice tonight, and the delicate, often-bitter beauty of his songs shines.
