It’s January the first and it’s my first concert of the year. After being out until well past midnight seeing the fireworks shoot off the Space Needle, I was exhausted all the next day and wouldn’t have made the effort for any lesser band. But the Crocodile Cafe, in the heart of Seattle’s Belltown, was hosting a dual concert with Cracker and my long time faves Camper Van Beethoven. This was a show that couldn’t be missed on any count. If I had two broken legs I would have gone to this show.
I had never seen Cracker before. For those of you unaware, Cracker was the band co-founded by David Lowery, the lead vocalist and founding member for Camper Van Beethoven. Cracker received mainstream airplay in the early nineties with Low and Teen Angst, but I had two babies at home in the early nineties and wasn’t getting out much save for the occasional Disney flick. I was long overdue for seeing them live and I wasn’t disappointed.
Cracker is a bit more straight up rock music than Camper Van Beethoven, but there were some elements of country and some blues as well. The versatile guitar playing of Johnny Hickman combined with the stunning pedal steel from Pistol is what really sets Cracker apart from just any other rock band. The quirky and often humorous lyrics along with the rhythm section of Bryan Howard (bass) and Carlton Owens on drums make Cracker special.
Cracker performed their “hits” of Teen Angst and Low, but the highlight was the encore where they finished the night with a powerful version of Euro Trash Girl, a song of a more pop variety with dynamic three-part harmony on the chorus. This was the perfect song to end the evening with and, as I scanned the audience, could tell it was a real crowd pleaser for this sold out show.
Preceding Cracker was my beloved Camper Van Beethoven performing their 1988 release Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart. I could almost imagine myself back at Seattle’s Central Tavern in 1987 when I saw CVB for the first time. Besides the tracks off Our Beloved . . . they also played their two most well known songs, Take The Skinheads Bowling and the Status Quo cover of Pictures Of Matchstick Men, the latter of which features some of the finest violin work from the very versatile Jonathan Segel (who also played keyboards, guitar and mandolin). I’ve always had a crush on Jonathan who has barely aged in the nearly thirty years I’ve been a fan of the band. Camper Van play a unique variety of music ranging from country flavored rock to elements of folk as well, complete with twangy guitar work and the aforementioned violin. Camper Van’s current lineup consists of the aforementioned Lowery and Segel along with Victor Krummenacher on bass, Greg Lisher on lead guitar and Frank Funaro on drums.
Opening the evening was Buffalo Jones. Hailing from Spokane, WA, they have a sound and look more reminiscent of the country rock bands from the seventies. I was reminded much of The Eagles. But they definitely had their own style, complete with lots of hair, twangy guitars and tight harmonies. I doubt Buffalo Jones will be an opener much longer. They put on a very strong performance and judging by the comments I heard after, they were well liked by many. Buffalo Jones are, Jason Johnson-Vocals/Guitar, Brandon Humphreys-Lead Guitar, Glenn Case-Bass, Joshua Martin-Drums.
Another great night of music passed through Seattle and what a way to kick off the new year.
