August 2003 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
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The Lonesome Organist rocks The Bottom Of The Hill 27 August 2003
Despite its location in the nether regions of San Francisco, the Bottom Of The Hill club has for years been one of the city’s most attractive live venues thanks to a well-tempered mix of local and out-of-town acts, and to its oddly shaped yet comfortable performance space. On August 16, this mix again gelled into an excellent show. Jes. Ca. Hoop (the artist formerly known as Jessica Hoop, of Forestville, CA avant-folk band Majesty’s Monkey) dazzled early arrivals with her charismatic presence and haunting voice performing celtic-style folk songs. Next, locals Loop!Station, the duo of cellist Sam Bass and singer Robin Coomer, leveraged the phrase-sampling devices that gave the band its name, stacking up simple loops into complex, multilayered soundscapes. But it was Jeremy Jacobsen, aka The Lonesome Organist, who really got the audience going. The Chicago-based Jacobsen, labelmate on Thrilljockey Records with artists such as David Byrne and Tortoise, in early June released his third solo album, Forms and Follies. It follows Collector of Cactus Echo Bag (1997) and Cavalcade (1999). The Lonesome Organist comes across as mellow and laid-back in his studio work, but he launched his show with a manic energy that he sustained throughout the set. Alone on stage playing drums, percussion, keyboards, melodica, blues harp, and guitar, often simultaneously and while singing, yodelling, and tap dancing, he did not rely on any recordings or samples except for some doo-wop backing vocals on Only If I Get You (check our link for a full-length MP3). And despite the spectacle of The Lonesome Organist’s multitasking extravaganza, his performance skillfully avoided degenerating into a novelty act, always remaining focused on the music while evoking other extremists such as Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits, and Jon Spencer of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion—one of several artists whom Jacobsen has collaborated with. | The Lonesome Organist | | The Bottom Of The Hill | | Loop!Station | | Majesty's Monkey | | Only If I Get You (full length MP3) | | Lonesome Organist CD on Amazon.com | | top of page | |
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