"dime stores in the brittle air..." - MR

Cheers.

This is a short piece on where I was exactly one year ago today. Written after a few... Wrote it to keep the memory alive somehow. Something kept it around for the occasion. Just keep it breathing for me. Thanks.

Many thanks.
________

Matthew Ryan Vs. The Silver State (MRVSS)
Cambridge Room inside the House of Blues, Dallas, TX
Friday, June 13th, 2008

A warm night in Texas... All of this happened as I recall and remember it all...

A handful of people were milling around the dark, yet sleek shed inside this monster house of supposed blues with doors to a handful of stages large and small. Then this anonymous gent carried himself to the stage. This was Jon Dee Graham. He opened and played a lonesome, yet blistering set. He was late to the gig, so he borrowed Matthew's guitar... And with pick in hand and a chilled Tecate in the other, he went to work. Midway through his acoustic set, he asked the multi-talented Molly Thomas onstage to play the fiddle on a couple of acoustic jams... They looked great together as he really appreciated her presence. She added just the right touch to his brawny style. Jon even brought out Matthew Ryan's drummer to help him out with a song. Jon was full of stories and even played a couple of songs with the Super Villains (aka MRVSS). He brought this motley crew out to help him with a song his 8 year old son created... Turned into a full-blown crowd-sing-along... It was so respectful that the Villains didn't steal his thunder. What an opener... Not expecting much from him, but his brief, heroic set showed me exactly why there is a documentary made of his life. His story about his song in the movie, "Ladder 49," brought the house down. Loved how he laughed all the way through his slotted time. This set the stage for MRVSS.

When MRVSS walked onto the stage, his curious band rolled out with a subtle confidence that echoed through the small, yet intimate venue. One would not know that this was the second show of an ultra-short run. My wife and I were up front and center along with some faithful followers who were clearly there to show our respect and appreciation for great music by a talented and hopeful artist. When I saw Matthew Ryan in Boston, MA last year, he played to a crowd of 21... Just him and his guitar and a harmonica. It was a special night and it set up my expectations for a full band assault. Because his latest release is a stellar body of work that packs a potent punch, I was intrigued with how it would correspond to the live stage... I wondered how it would all connect... We were not disappointed and the band delivered and went above and beyond to make sure that we, the listeners, had the kind of experience worth writing about... As I type this, I cannot recall the names of the players, except for Molly who was introduced as such... So I will just label them by the instruments they played on this great night. The guitar/bass duo looked like brothers as they laid it all down and brought a certain sonic appeal to each tune. The drummer attacked his drums as if he were mad at them because they had called him names, but treated them with a sweet sincerity when certain songs called for it. Very, very tight on the trap set. I loved the snap of the snare... Molly was all over the keys and strings... She would use her voice to accent Matthew's and would sprinkle cool little musical vignettes into each number as if she had been playing these songs all of her life. It was apparent from the beginning that this band was having fun and it showed through each song. Their appreciation for the moment was obvious as they were a tight, crisp group looking for an audience who cared... Matthew held them all together and was noticeably proud to have them by his side for this tour.

'Could've Been Worse' started the night out with its ominous beginning and we were off... Early in the show, Matthew asked the barkeep to turn off the TVs that lined the back of the room. They were bright and he said this... "Hey, I don't want to come across wrong, but is there any way you can turn the TVs off back there? There's enough entertainment in the room, tonight. Thanks." This singular moment is something that I can appreciate... Like buying my first copy of "The Bends" by Radiohead. It was the right thing to do in 1995. And on this night in 2008, he was right. Who needs additional distractions? Thankfully, the barkeep obliged and Matthew went into a dedication story of how 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' was written for his mom. Then he laughed and said that it was written about her... and did not want to confuse anyone...

Every song was true to form, but some left room for some subtle improvisational wordplay, which was nice as Matthew enjoys referencing his heroes and for the faithful ones, these types of things are a welcome gift. He went deep into his catalog early and broke 'Guilty' out... Solid and swift, it complimented the new songs well... I hoped that he would dig into his previous lives and we were not disappointed... The newer takes on his older stuff sounded so fresh and it was nice to see that he had not given up on where he came from... The crowd was ecstatic as we shouted out requests from each album. Matthew was appreciative of our efforts to influence the set list. I said (3 feet away), "Play your favorite Clash song!" His reply, "Hey, that's not a bad idea, that could be cool." But this was his night and he was going to do it his way. He would thank us later (in his own way) for our requests. 'They Were Wrong' was up next and was gorgeous. I remember it as an acoustic highlight from my journey to Boston last year. I was thrilled that it saw the light of day on his latest effort. And after a beautifully paced 'And Never Look Back,' he said, "This next one is my favorite song of the last 10 years." MRVSS then tore into a raucous 'Johnny Appleseed,' by the late, great Joe Strummer. This was a proper homage to someone that Matthew admires and holds a great deal of respect for and it was a true rocker from start to finish. Joe would have been proud had he heard what Matthew did with it... I'm sure of it...

For 'Closing In,' Matthew left his guitar on stage and walked into the audience to sing the album closer... He walked through us and we gave him his space and watched the guy say his piece. It was a special touch to an already special night and we were not even close to being through with it all... As the night heated up, each song from then on took on a sweet swagger that left us wanting more... Matthew's confidence was building and the band was clicking on all cylinders. We really couldn't ask for more... MRVSS even squeezed in a 'Happy Birthday' to an adoring fan who was just excited to be alive. Then they blazed, relentlessly, through some oldies and wrapped it up with 'Misundercould.' This was the last hurrah for the band as they rolled off... We were left wondering what was next...

Matthew then grabbed his acoustic and hopped down from the stage and started taking proper requests. From the second song of the night, a guy to my left repeatedly asked him to play '3rd Of October.' This guy would be rewarded for his patience when Matthew serenaded him and his wife who were celebrating their anniversary. We all watched him work and when he was finished, he started walking around and asked for more requests... Then, 'Me & My Lover' took us by surprise (also serenaded to another group of people) and melted into my request for 'Skylight.' While 10 different songs were requested during this brief acoustic-troubadour-like moment, the minute I said 'Skylight,' I was met with a "There you go, that's the one!" So there he stood on the floor in front of us all and sang it like it was the last time he would ever sing this song. It was amazing...

We knew that we were on borrowed time and this acoustic set was a real treat for us... Would it end and if it did, what would he go out with? Matthew jumped back on stage and looked at us all one last time and started the first strums of 'Return To Me.' Enough said... As he concluded this quietly majestic masterwork, he snuck this cluster of words in, just like he did in Boston last year... "The world is held together by the wind that blows through your hair." Powerful, I think. And very appropriate for personal reasons... This is all true. Then, he thanked us again and shuffled off to the dark corner of the stage. It was over.

The fact that he stuck around and visited with everyone after the show was just a nice touch. That was best encore of all...

Thank you, MRVSS. We would be happy to play host again if you'll have us...

The set...

01. Could've Been Worse
02. Sweetie
03. American Dirt
04. Dulce Et Decorum Est
05. Babybird
06. Guilty
07. Jane, I Still Feel The Same
08. Meet Me By The River
09. They Were Wrong
10. And Never Look Back
11. Johnny Appleseed
12. Closing In *
13. I Must Love Leaving
14. Irrelevant
15. Misundercould
16. 3rd Of October **
17. Me & My Lover **
18. Skylight **
19. Return To Me ***

* Matthew sans guitar, mic only, in crowd facing the band
** solo w/ acoustic guitar serenading crowd
*** solo w/ acoustic guitar on stage
________

- bsm*, fan of all things real