Pete Yorn & Ours

The Bottom of the Hill probably hasn't been so packed since the Noise Pop Festival earlier this year. If you wanted a drink, a smoke or a bathroom break you had to plan your route very, very carefully. Maybe people came out because they thought they'd meet Carson Daly or Ananda-the-VJ at the show (sponsored by MTV) or because both bands have been making their presence known. And the soulful wails of Jimmy Gnecco followed you wherever you went. I reviewed Ours' CD last issue and liked it, but seeing them live was so much better. Their stage presence was striking, to say the least and their songs came off as their own, rather than as a Pearl Jam wannabe band. Gnecco and crew (David Milone on guitar, Kirke Jan on drums, Race on bass, Anthony DeMarco on keys) played with a passionate energy only found in newer bands (less jaded, more hopeful), their hit single off of their album, Distorted Lullabies, "Miseryhead," came off as emo rock with a goth rock tinge, and their rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" was something I'm sure Queen's Freddy Mercury was smiling down on.
Their set was over and they were pumped, socializing with the crowd as they took down their gear. Then Kirke Jan stepped on my friend's foot and bought her a beer. Nice guy.
Then came the 45-minute set change. It was long and hot and if I hadn't been covering the show I would have left, but then I would have missed Pete Yorn's set and that would have been a shame.
Pete Yorn and his backup band took their places on stage. When the band was finally ready to start a fog machine blasted and immediately took away a few points of credibility, but the musicians accompanying Yorn brought the cred points a few notches up. The keyboardist played guitar and harmonica, Yorn played guitar and harmonica, the lead guitarist was incredible…a band of the new millenium — they could multi-task.
Yorn opened with his hit single, "Life on a Chain," and got the audience into the vibe of the show. The second song, "Strange Condition" (another radio hit), exhibited a sparser, tinnier sound than the album promotes. Yorn's rich, East Coast twang was enhanced, droning out the musicians by the third song, "Black." It was then I realized that the sound system just wasn't cutting it that Sunday night, as feedback, blips and other noises made their way through the entire set. Yorn also played "For Nancy ('Cos it Already Is)," "Sense," "On Your Side," and "Closet," all off of Music For the Morning After.

– words and photo by Laney Erokan

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