It’s Thursday night, but that doesn’t stop the night life from hopping on maximum overdrive on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Chop Suey hosted one of my all-time favorites, Camper Van Beethoven.
I first saw CVB in the fall of 1987 and I’ve seen them a couple times since. I believe this show was the fourth time. This band can do no wrong. Lead singer David Lowery has such a gorgeous lilt in his voice that I’m immediately put in a happy place. This combined with the melodic fiddle playing of Jonathan Segel (whom I still have a crush on), make CVB a unique alternative to the status quo of most popular music.
They opened their set with a song off their upcoming album El Camino Real, which comes out on Tuesday June seventh. David Lowery even joked about how it was just like old times when they start the tour and the record company puts the new album out after the tour is in full swing.
Also played were their classics, a cover of Status Quo’s Pictures Of Matchstick Men (their biggest hit) and Take the Skinheads Bowling (made famous in Michael Moore’s movie Bowling for Columbine).
David Lowery switches back and forth between acoustic and electric guitars, while Jonathan switches between fiddle, electric guitar and electric mandolin.
Other highlights included their cover of Black Flag’s Wasted and the Clash’s White Riot. Their folky with country highlights really put an interesting twist on these very punk songs, and it worked beautifully. CVB songs are very quirky both musically and lyrically (listen to the words to Skinheads). CVB are one of a kind and it’s hard to pin them down to a single genre, but they’re well worth listening to. You can go to their FB page and stream the new album now.
Besides the aforementioned Lowery and Segel, performing at this concert was Chris Pedersen on drums (whose slamming of the skins belied the light-heartedness of most CVB songs), David Immergluc on bass guitar and Greg Lisher on lead guitar.
If I could find one minute disappointment, it would be that they didn’t play The Ambiguity Song or Turquoise Jewelry. But really, this was a great show and I love Camper Van Beethoven.
