Willis Earl Beal has been on my radar since I kept hearing about an awesome show he performed at Cole’s a couple of months ago. When tickets went on sale for his show at The Hideout I purchased them based solely on the tremendous word of mouth rather than having ever heard his music. When I finally heard his music, first the lovely Evening’s Kiss single and then the entire Acousmatic Sorcery album, I was a little perplexed at all of the excitement. While I enjoyed parts of the album, a lot of the stuff seemed too much like outsider art to me. “Another Daniel Johnston,” I exclaimed to no one. After digging deeper, I started to enjoy the album more and more, yet I still wondered why he was being talked about so much. Then he was asked to perform at the Pitchfork Music Festival. Clearly, I was missing something. Well, holy fuck was I missing something.
Willis Earl Beal’s show at The Hideout last Thursday night was like watching a reverend preaching to an adoring flock of worshipers like The Rapture was coming. This wasn’t a performance by an outsider artist, but rather a show by a man who commanded the stage like a legendary soul showman. Think Otis Redding backed by a reel to reel tape recorder. He was funny, enthralling, and most of all, entertaining. After starting off the show with a poem by Charles Bukowski, he proceeded to unleash songs with the fury of a champion prize fighter. After the last song he said, “I am not a musician but a motivational speaker with harmonious inclinations.” Indeed.
I’ve been a fan of Cains & Abels since 2009 when I first heard the excellent “Call Me Up, Pt. 2″ from their debut album Call Me Up. The Chicago band has a new record out called My Life is Easy and I have been listening to it virtually nonstop since I played “Stay Home Tonight” on my CHIRP Radio show a few weeks ago. And even though I considered myself a fan, I had not seen the band perform live until I saw their performance at The Hideout for the SXSW send off party about a month ago. There were a ton of great bands on the bill that afternoon and night (Outer Minds!), but I felt that Cains & Abels were head and shoulders above the rest. If you want to check them out for yourself, head on over to Saki tomorrow afternoon for a show they will be doing for Record Store Day and check out the video for “Stay Home Tonight” below. LoudLoopPress has a comprehensive guide to all the events taking place in Chicago so make sure to map out a plan to hit all of your favorite stores.
