Though he is often seen as a guitarist and sideman in Aussie psychedelic rock legends The Church, Marty Willson-Piper has emerged as a world-class songwriter in his own right. Aside from his 30 years with The Church, he's released 5 solo albums, 4 live albums, toured and recorded with too many artists to list, and worked on a pair of collaborative albums with Dare Mason, under the name Noctorum. These wonderful Noctorum albums received limited distribution, and are quite difficult to find. To remedy this, 2006's "Offer The Light", is being re-released via Second Motion Records (USA) in June 2010. It'll be housed in a tasteful deluxe softpack CD with booklet. And to help promote it, Second Motion are offering a 2-song free download as a taster. Remarkable, melodic, and well worthy of your attention.
In other related news, expect a comprehensive set of Church and Steve Kilbey reissues (including an 8CD box set of Kilbey's past works) from Second Motion in the coming months.
Wow. It's a long drive from Evansville to Cleveland (nearly 8 hours), but my trusty friend and major Church/Steve Kilbey fan TE and I made the journey on a blisteringly hot summer day, and it mostly all worked out wonderfully. With him being a veteran of past Church tours, I had never before experienced this venerable Australian act of grizzled psychedelic rockers, and I picked an amazing time to enter the fold. The Church's latest CD, 'Untitled #23', may be one of their best works, and this tour found them in top form.
The drive itself was nondescript. Miles and hours of bland Midwestern scenery and concrete retaining walls. We passed through Louisville, then Cincinnati, then Columbus (fittingly, the title of an old Church track), and finally Cleveland. Some light sandwiches and granola bars (and fruit) served fine as quick lunches along the way, and we motored on to Cleveland like true road dogs. The club itself is a small little place, easy to miss, in a kind of forsaken downtown area (across the street from a blood sausage shop - nauseating!), and actually pretty near Lake Erie, which was a lovely deep blue. We found parking in the small lot, and fairly promptly entered the ballroom area, camera in tow, and ready to approach the well-stocked and (really quite impressive) merchandise booth - complete with tons of CDs (both Church and solo releases), art prints, the new Kilbey biography, t-shirts, and more. I found a treasured Refo:mation CD, which is excessively rare, but passed on the limited and similarly rare 'Tin Mine' compilation. TE nabbed a Kilbey art print (suitable for, and sure to be subject to) framing. I was unhappy to not find a copy of 'Back With Two Beasts', but that freed up some dollars for a tasty and tangy barbecue tofu sandwich and a Newcastle Brown Ale, both priced modestly for a bar/club, so kudos to the Beachland for fair prices. We stood around the well-ventilated and air-conditioned club (again, rare, so thank you Beachland) while listening to the soothing sounds of Sigur Ros (a full album, seemed like), then some Verve, Arcade Fire, and Silversun Pickups -- really good to hear enjoyable sounds from the PA while waiting for the bands to take the stage!
Opening act Adam Franklin (he formerly of 90's-era shoegaze rockers Swervedriver) and his new band, Bolts Of Melody was solid, presenting some good, honest indie rock. Some fine songwriting, though, seemed lost a bit on the music, which I'd rather hear some more noise and fervor on. Franklin kind of got a wee bit edgy on the wonderful closing track, but the energy just wasn't there otherwise.
When the Church finally took the stage, they entered with atmospheric blue lights, and the beginning riffs to the song 'Tantalized' emerged from the chaos and the roar of the crowd. This song, among the band's heaviest (and already 23 years old), set the stage for an energetic and rousing evening of classic 'hits' and new material. There seemed to be a genuinely rollicking good time going among the band itself, not to mention for the devoted crowd. The band raced through tracks from most of their history, with some highlights being 'Almost With You', 'Operetta', Space Savior', and an encore of 'Under The Milky Way' and 'Reptile'. The band returned for a second encore, which included 'Hotel Womb', and they lost very little of their raw energy and passion. During the show, it was evident how important drummer/producer Tim Powles has been to the group. He is a powerhouse drummer, transforming even the older Church tunes into monster rock beasts. Guitarist Peter Koppes was a stoic figure, only allowing a few trickles of smiles to get through his businesslike demeanor, while keeping the moody guitars going effortlessly. A shaggy-bearded and long-haired Marty Willson-Piper hammed it up all show, posing and laughing like he was having the time of his life. And Steve Kilbey was a picture of energy and vitality, looking very healthy and fit, and lurking around the stage like a possessed man. He (as well as the rest of the group) are obviously in a good place these days, as their chemistry was stunning. The double-guitar interplay was perfect, the mixing crystal clear, Kilbey's voice in fine form, and it was simply a brilliant show, packed with energy, noise, smiles, and good times.
Our only regret was not staying around after the show to meet the guys for photo ops or autographs. Ah well. Regardless, the memories of this intimate and intense Church show will linger for a long time. It's a good time to be a fan of these guys. Great records, great concerts....
So one of my favorite bands these days is touring North America soon. I plan to be at the Cleveland date if all goes as planned...
The Church also have a new CD due out in May, titled 'Untitled #23', and a pair of import-only Aussie singles/EPs as well, 'Coffee Hounds' and 'Pangaea'. Check your usual import sources for these, or try these links:
And check out the pair of classic (and obscure) videos for two of my favorite Church tracks below...
THE CHURCH 'SO LOVE MAY FIND US' TOUR 2009 USA
JUN 10 WED BELLY UP TAVERN * SOLANA BEACH, CA JUN 11 THU THE ROXY THEATRE * WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA JUN 12 FRI SLIM’S * SAN FRANCISCO, CA JUN 14 SUN ALADDIN THEATER * PORTLAND, OR JUN 15 MON THE TRIPLE DOOR * SEATTLE, WA JUN 18 THU GOTHIC THEATRE * ENGLEWOOD, CO JUN 19 FRI HARRAH'S * NORTH KANSAS CITY, MO JUN 20 SAT HOUSE OF BLUES CHICAGO * CHICAGO, IL JUN 21 SUN VARSITY THEATER * MINNEAPOLIS, MN JUN 23 TUE SHANK HALL * MILWAUKEE, WI JUN 24 WED THE INTERSECTION * GRAND RAPIDS, MI JUN 25 THU THE MAGIC BAG * FERNDALE, MI JUN 26 FRI BEACHLAND BALLROOM * CLEVELAND, OH JUN 27 SAT REX THEATRE * PITTSBURGH, PA JUN 28 SUN THE STATE THEATRE * FALLS CHURCH, VA JUN 30 TUE RAM’S HEAD ONSTAGE * ANNAPOLIS, MD JUL 1 WED THE TROCADERO * PHILADELPHIA, PA JUL 2 THU SHOWCASE LIVE * FOXBOROUGH, MA JUL 3 FRI TUPELO MUSIC HALL * LONDONDERRY, NH JUL 7 - TRALF MUSIC HALL *BUFFALO, NY JUL 8 WED IRVING PLAZA * NEW YORK, NY JUL 9 THU THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE * RIDGEFIELD, CT JUL 10 FRI SWYER THEATRE * ALBANY, NY
* Adam Franklin(of Swervedriver) & Bolts of Melody will be our guest support on US dates. JUL 11 - CISCO OTTAWA BLUESFEST
Though he is often seen as a guitarist and sideman in Aussie psychedelic rock legends The Church, Marty Willson-Piper has emerged as a world-class songwriter in his own right. Aside from his 30 years with The Church, he's released 5 solo albums, 4 live albums, toured and recorded with too many artists to list, and worked on a pair of collaborative albums with Dare Mason, under the name Noctorum. These wonderful Noctorum albums received limited distribution, and are quite difficult to find. 
