Last night I had tickets to Colin Meloy and Laura Veirs at Town Hall. I’ve seen Colin perform a number of times, with the Decemberists and solo, covering Morrissey songs and was never disappointed. Laura Veirs released one of my favorite albums of 2005 so I was especially excited to see her live. But I didn’t go to the show (reason why in a post later today).
Mrs. Stereogum took her friends in my absence and fills us in on the excitement:
Colin announced he and girlfriend/Decemberillustrator Carson Ellis are having a baby in a month! Congrats kids! Colin even performed a song he wrote to the fetus. The lovely chorus was “It’s weird and it’s wonderful, dear” and there was a line about “tumblin’ in Dublin,” TMI about where the baby was conceived.But we want MP3![See below.]On stage he was joined by a “cast of characters”: a small sheep (named Erick, the ‘c’ is silent), a skull (Cheryl), and a ship (Maya Angelou). He mused that they represented life, death, and … ships. See, Colin’s funny too!
Check out the awesome Decemberists merch (designed by Carson, obvs). You need this shit. But more importantly, Colin and Carson need to buy a crib. Purchase a t-shirt for the poor and wretched chimbley sweep in your life!
Thanks EJ, and thanks for bringing home the limited edition EP they were selling at the show: Colin Meloy Sings: Trad. Arr. Shirley Collins. After listening to Colin’s versions, I scrounged up originals by the obscure Brit folkie, and apparently Shirley Collins songs are tailor made for an “artful anachronist” like Colin, as The New York Times explains.
In the last few years [Meloy] has quickly established himself as one of the premier new songwriters in rock, charming critics and ever-growing crowds with songs set in a fantastical world of Victorian chimney sweeps and dockside prostitutes, infant ghosts and exotic royal parades. His lyrics giddily engage a Scrabble master’s vocabulary; one song on the Decemberists’ latest album, Picaresque, rhymes folderol, chaparral and coronal.
From the EP, here’s Colin (with babymamma Carson on vocals and C. Funk on banjo) covering Shirley Collins, followed by the original.
Colin Meloy (Feat. Carson Ellis) – “Charlie” (MP3 Link Expired)
Shirley Collins – “Charlie” (MP3 Link Expired)
UPDATE: Ask, and ye shall receive MP3. Not weird and most certainly wonderful, this tune. Thanks Nicole…
Colin Meloy – “Baby Song (Live)” (MP3 Link Expired)
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first post
Here’s the baby song if you still need/want the mp3.
http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1NKY781Z7RG5L0A6PDL4JDSQWH
Can someone tell me about how long this show ran including Laura V? It starts at 8 in Philly tonight and I want to know when I should expect to get out.
Alicia, do you have the rest of the set, too?
The name of the sheep was “Gerard” by the way. The show ran till about 11:30pm (the NYC show also started at 8). Colin goes on around 10 or so.
just a quick update there – someone called out “ancient shiraz” about the wine, which colin mistook as “girard” and went with it. the sheep, however, was erick, with a silent “c”, but with a “k”, so erick with a “c k”, how could you forget???
other songs, in no particular order: engine driver, shiny, red right ankle, ca1 / ybb, two shirley collins songs, weird and wonderful, nothing turns out right, los angeles, and a bunch more. he played for a solid hour and a half.
I was down in the 4th row – sweet show by colin and laura! but boo to that first opener – didn’t care for her much.
I thought the sheep was named “Eric with a K” with the Eric part spelled E-R-I-C. Either way, you can see why people find Meloy a bit much. But I loved the show. Apparently, his grandmother did too. She was sitting directly across the aisle ? enjoying all the references to palaver and pantaloons and legionnaires, I’m sure.
Wow, how could I forget that!??
The bottle of wine was Gerard and the sheep was Eri(c)k
colin meloy was not funny at all and i found his songs to be really boring and uninventive. i felt like i was in pre-schhol with colin the idiotic clown performing for us. all of the fans were twice as annoying as he…when colin explains his stupid worthless toys/props, everyone applauds and cheers…’wow! he’s a god!’ amy annelle and laura veirs were great though.
FYI, you can stream tomorrow nights Colin Meloy/Laura Veirs show from Virgina on NPR.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5171264
first thought: its a pretty song
we san francisco folk unanimously named the ship “maya angelou.” apparently the skull was dubbed “cheryl” in portland the night before.
I have pictures and a video of “Red Right Ankle” from Colin’s San Francisco show.
You can check it out here:
http://clog.shundor.com
Colin Meloy makes me hate the Decemberists. That guy needs a cockpunch worse than anybody.
Their music belongs on “Barney & Friends”… I literally gag when I hear the signers voice.