My friend John introduced me to Jon Brion, and I have to say, I'm hooked. Peter and I went to see him at the Harris Theatre on NYE, and despite the rowdy crowd (it was an open bar) the show rocked! Jon Brion is like Andrew Bird on crack - he goes from drums, to piano, to guitar, and records all the parts, looping them and then playing and singing on top. He also takes requests. Lots of requests. Obscure requests. And he enjoys audience participation, like the entire theatre singing Bohemian Rhapsody.
We liked the show so much we immediately went home and bought tickets for a second impromptu show at Martyr's for last night. He was even better in the more intimate setting, though some of the crowd (loud guy right next to me you know who you are) was still annoying. We had to leave after what was supposed to be the show (1 1/2 hours of straight playing - solo), which was unfortunate, as he played for another 2 1/2 hours I heard, and played some really amazing stuff, including an entire John Lennon tribute medley. He's also a musician's musician, calling random audience members on stage to fill in positions at the drums or bass or even vocals. And most of them are certainly up to the task, which is surprising (I exclude Nirvana dude - you suck). Anyway, if you're ever in Los Angeles and you notice he's playing a (becoming rarer) show at the Largo, you MUST go see it. Or check him out the next time he's in Chicago, which seems to be the only other place he plays outside of L.A. Lucky us!
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