Julian Casablancas at St. Andrew's Hall

To say that Julian Casablancas has had a conventional rock and roll road would be a bit of a stretch. With no number off hand, it’s probably fairly safe to say the total of models turned rock lead singers are few and far between. The Strokes lead singer came to Detroit’s St. Andrew’s Hall with his solo band on a humid Monday night and his the show would prove to be anything but ordinary, whether or not that is a good thing can be your decision.

Casablancas opened up his show in dark, aside from a sparse blue can aimed down around the back of the stage it would remain fairly dark throughout the roughly 45-minute set. Casablancas sauntered on stage drink in had as he wavered back and forth during the swirling noise of the six-piece band behind him before going into “Ludlow Street,” to open the show. Casablancas’ band featured a drummer and percussionist, two guitarists, and two keyboard players, both of whom occasionally played guitars as well. Casablancas who took only vocal duties ala The Strokes, but this still made for a wall of sound coming from the dark stage, which wasn’t always a good thing. Some of the nuances of the album were lost as the occasional trio of guitars wouldn’t always mesh with the pinpoint accuracy they had on the album. The short set, only 8 songs, was taken from Casablancas’ recently released Phazes for The Young, save a take on The Strokes “Hard to Explain” which had the crowd thrashing up and down, and a slow keyboard duo of the B-side “I’ll Try Anything Once.”

The set closed with “Left & Right In The Dark” which characterized the short set, guitars and synthesizers mashing over one and other, occasionally syncing up but mostly overpowering each other in a hot mess with some raspy effect laden from Casablancas before he walked off stage letting he band slam to the end of the song. For an encore the band returned for the slow crashes of “4 Chords of The Apocalypse,” which actually had to be restarted from the drum break, but what followed was a bizarre ending to a show. A cover Casablancas has done before of Saturday Night Live’s “I Wish It Was Christmas Today.” Before starting the odd tune, Casablancas seemed poise to explain it’s placement, that he had recorded it previously, but instead brushed his hair back joking, “I’m not going to do my schpiel, I’m just going to act like it’s no big deal to do a Christmas song.” He then ran off stage again and the house lights sent the crowd out just as quickly the front man had bolted off stage.

The show was short, bizarre and visually unentertaining because it was so dark, none of which really seemed to match the airy bounce of the synthesizers and harmonized guitars that were so heavy throughout the album versions of Phazes. Maybe some effort into a stage show, possibly more than one light may help. Casablancas voice was fairly good, when he wasn’t mumbling or stumbling around the stage, but the set barely got going before it was over. It was also a bit odd to leave the crowd with a goofball cover after playing under an hour of music, seems like a kush gig.

Casablancas could potentially capture the depressed dance floor saunter he goes for on the album, the feel of the 1980’s house party movie band, think Oingo Boingo with “It’s A Dead Man’s Party” crooning while Rodney Dangerfield straightens his longfellow in a hot tub. A load of synthesizers, an implied self-aura of holier than thou trendiness, coupled with a cold snarl and some sort of Indian tail dangley-down, Casablancas could have the potential to guide you through that bar fight scene with Robert Downey’s mohawk, but he needs to actually put on a live performance that is worth a shit before he attempts the Triple Lundy. Feels great to work that reference in there so fuck you if you don't like it. Maybe the latest revival of The Strokes will spark a fire under Casablancas with a slot at Lollapalooza.

Dr. Dog w/ The Growlers at The Crofoot Ballroom

With their 2008’s Fate in the rear view mirror and Shame, Shame still a few months away, Dr. Dog has been building an impressive catalogue of perfectly pop saavy rock and roll tunes. The five piece from Philadelphia straddled albums and endured the harsh Michigan winter in Pontiac’s Crofoot Ballroom.

Opening the night were The Growlers, a six piece from California, were a pleasant surprise as vocalist Brooks Nielson crooning created a wall of sound as if he was conjuring the ghost of Jim Morrison molesting a guitar made of old surfboards. Neilsen’s vocal bends and pitches blended perfectly with the surf-laden rockabilly behind him for an opening act that was well worth the time.
Shortly after, Dr. Dog took the stage at the roughly 250 person bar with “The Old Days,” to pull the crowd in with the raucous uptempo version as the band slammed into the choruses. The depth and vibrance of the studio wasn’t gone, but sped up and replaced with a raw energy to jump start the crowd. String melodies and other nuances from the studio were filled live throughout the night by both the thrashing dual guitars of Scott McMicken and Frank McElroy, and the spacey keyboard work of Zach Miller. Mixing in almost all the tracks from 2008’s Fate, the band skillfully creates a different, but still sonically lush landscape of the complex album.
Harnessing their vocal depth and variety kept the crowd on their toes as bassist Toby Lehman’s screeching and wildly unrestrained screams provided the perfect compliment for McMicken’s more conventional softer singing. The band also harmonizes vocally, instrumentally and physically incredibly well live, as they jump, twist and bounce in unison to country tinged stomping tunes like “The Pretender.”

Dr. Dog also peppered a few new offerings from April’s upcoming Shame, Shame. “Mirror, Mirror,” the first of the new songs, gave a sign that it would be delightfully more of the same from the Philly five piece, which is not in any way a bad thing. The short barely three minute song, is another perfectly rollicking, bouncy tune to add to the already impressive Dr. Dog catalogue. Other new songs were scattered through the show, with crashing melodies across the set to create an ebb and flow of softer songs before slamming full speed ahead on “My Friend” and the closing “The Rabbit, The Bat & The Reindeer.” Both of which had the band and crowd bouncing the floor like a trampoline. As the band set their equipment down for an encore break McMicken looked around quickly realizing the only for the band to leave was through the shoulder to shoulder crowd at the front of the stage. “Well, let’s just be reasonable about this...you want us to play more songs right?” McMicken said jokingly as the band started again. After the fluttery keyboard laden “Ain’t It Strange,” it was Leaman’s screeches beautifully paired with the harmonizing guitar squeals of “Died In Your Arms,” and the closing thrash of “Oh No.”

It’s easy to forget how badly it sucks to be shoulder to shoulder in a sweaty crowd bouncing the floor of a dingy club. But it’s even easier to remember why anyone would endure these menial inconveniences, to hear musicians pour their souls out into tiny dimly lit shithole bars. That is why it’s a treat to see rock and roll shows and that is what Dr. Dog reminds their audience of each show.

by Pietro C. Truba
originally for Relix Magazine