Brownies

New York, NY

November 30, 2001

Setlist:

Dancing in the Moonlight

Quiet & Still

Smile to the World

Where Happiness Lives

Home Song

I'll Come Along

My Darling Curse

Zip A Dee Do Da

Review:

Nordic Fast Track
Singer-Songwriter Even Johansen Bows at Brownies
By Tom Semioli

One day Even Johansen is going to conquer America with a band in tow. But on an unusually warm late fall night on New York's Lower East Side, this Norwegian singer-songwriter had to go it alone. At Brownies, a tiny club on Avenue B that's often host to artists on the way up the alternative rock ladder, he bravely accompanied himself with a vintage white lap-steel guitar while a button-pushing soundman armed with samples, loops and a bottle of Budweiser shot shards of noise around the room.

Johansen, reminiscent of U.K. alt-pop superstars Thom Yorke, Coldplay and Travis, is learning the ropes on his first solo tour hastily booked to whip up attention for his stunning debut disc Quiet & Still (Five One). In concert the spry composer's demeanor is the antithesis of the title of his record; he appears nothing like the close-up shot on the cover.

With a few onlookers straggling in shortly after 9 p.m. for the opening set, Johansen bounced on stage and bellowed "is everyone ready to dance? Good evening New York!" No response. He quickly sat down and inquired in a carnival barker's voice if there were any Thin Lizzy fans in attendance. No response again. The collegiate audience was dumbfounded at Johansen's self-effacing humor, which speaks volumes of the kind of education afforded at the near-by New York University.

Sussing out the situation with a measure of intelligence and wit, Johansen effortlessly launched into a haunting rendition of Phil Lynott's "Dancing in the Moonlight" with the wacko bravado of Syd Barrett on steroids. As the crowd thickened with curiosity they slowly edged toward the stage, much to the delight of Johansen who goaded them with "Where Happiness Lives," a neat little suicidal ditty that recalls: "it was last October on a Tuesday night / when she said fuck you it's over if you're getting high tonight / so he went straight down the white line and let a good thing down."

While referring to himself as "Even" and the mysterious technician as "Johnson," the artist showed off his multiple personalities by picking country and western licks, blues riffs and folksy arpeggios juxtaposed to a mechanical backbeat that often resolved into cacophony.

Johansen's self-produced disc - on which he played all instruments - consists of lush, sleepy arrangements. Without a hope of transposing that sanctified studio atmosphere live, he wisely opted to toss the recorded versions aside and go for broke. Though the club's shaky sound system popped and crackled at inopportune moments Johansen's performance was strong and spirited. The smiley face delivered maudlin lyrics such as "the bastard has come to claim his throne as king of picking on the wrong / the blade in his hand might scare you to death if the stink doesn't kill you first" charmed the room after his brief half-hour set.

Without a roadie in sight, the twentysomething Nordsman packed his gear and headed for the bar, proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the ravishing melancholy world of Even Johansen ends with the last note of the gig and the first happy-hour libation.

- amplifier magazine

(my review...not quite as nicely written as the one up there)

Before:

*an edited review of whatever I wrote when I got home at 1:30 AM on Saturday before I had the chance to calm down and my mind was probably fuzzy*

I know I sound like a babbling retard, but it's only in times of extreme happiness. This is extreme! OKAY first of all, Jen and I went to NY...yeah...we ate at mars 2112, saw the Rockefeller Christmas tree, walked around blah blah blah took the subway to Brownies, found it, and I went nuts just seeing Even's friggin NAME on the door. Jen was about to take a picture of me when the guy at the door offered to take a picture of both of us. After he did, Jen told him that I was a big Even Johansen fan and I really wanted to go in...but I added I wasn't 18, and the flyer said "18 w/ID" or something. But then...HE LET US IN! I guess they don't really care! Which is good!...maybe...yeah! I guess he saw we really wanted to go, or else we wouldn't have been there at all. When we were standing out there I could hear Even start playing and I was like "Ahhh! That's him!" AND WE ENTERED WOOHOO!

Thus became the extreme happiness. I don't know what I was doing, but I KNOW, I am CERTAIN that I seemed crazy. I know it. I was too happy. I got my MD player out and recorded it (it sounds SO crappy on my MD though, distorted and such, you can't imagine) and took some pictures. Even must be in his 30s or something, not really sure. He was really into the performance it seemed though...he was sitting there alone...with stuff...it sounded much like the performance last night on WFMU, down to the "Zip A Dee Do Da" at the end! But anyway, Even, why must you smoke!? I knew he smoked but...man, he really can't go without a cigarette. He'd sneak that right in..*huff huff puff puff smoke coming out of nostrils*. He loses points for that.. But he has a lot, so it doesn't matter.

He sings so beautifully! And he played so well! And everything was WEE WEE except for the tall people that decided to stand smack right in front of me! I was so shy to go up to him after the concert...no one else was...well...no, I couldn't. I would...puke/cry/die! So Jen and I were leaving when I saw a poster saying that his CD was on sale for $10! So I bought one for Rebecca...and also got some promo stuff; 8 posters, and two postcard sticker things. I think I scared the representative from Five One Inc. I put my name down on an Even mailing list of course.

BUT I WAS SO HAPPY I don't even remember what was doing, I just kept thanking Jen for being there and apologizing for acting like a real idiot, but I'm still semi-young, and it might be acceptable. I may as well live up the teenage life while I can.

Oh, I don't know what else to say. It was so marvelous. Even is a remarkable musician. Why he isn't more well known, I don't know. I want him to be, but kind of not also...I'd say there were less than 50 people in the audience. It was a small place, I'll have to say that.  It was pretty much perfect! We got there RIGHT on time, and this morning I decided to leave an hour earlier than I planned to last night. The weather was PERFECT despite the rain on the bus ride over and my mum was sure there would be rain and we'd have a terrible time.  By the time we got to NY it was not too cold or hot, and there was a slight breeze, perfect walking weather really. Oh it was wonderful! I don't want to forget this.

After:

If I try to imagine not being nuts that night, I remember that Brownies was a nice place, not too small but not big either.  On the left there were people at the bar drinking and closer to the stage there were more people drinking and smoking.  Wonderful habits, aren't they?

I don't know why people didn't get closer to the stage, but I sure as hell wasn't going to.  It may have looked a bit strange if I sat right in front of the stage.  People kept walking in front of the stage anyway, although I don't know why.  It was a bit distracting.  Then again that may have been mainly because I was standing on the left edge and people kept walking in through the crowd through there, so ever so often I had to move.

After Even played the first song he said something and...uh...started playing again.  :)  Some people were talking but it was so loud in there it almost didn't matter.  It annoyed me a bit though because hey, you all should be listening!  Like some of the people sitting at the tables, be quiet for a while, will ye?

Even fiddled around with some...stuff...man, I dunno.  He was playing a steel pedal guitar I think, and bent over adjusting things.  Yeah, I know my terminology is wonderful.  He made playing it look so easy, with his hands moving effortlessly over the top while he sang.

Before playing "Home Song" he said "We're gonna do a country western song for all you country western fans...*audience member goes yeehaw!*...easy now..."  It seemed funny at the time.  Yeah sure, why not.

At the end after he stopped playing he just started packing up his stuff...and then after what felt like a short time but probably wasn't, he was gone.  Sniff.  Sadness overcomes!  Well, not really, I was already happy.  :)

Pictures:

- me and my friend Jen in front of Brownies

-Even doing stuff! (click on + for bigger picture)

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- I think he's bowing.  Or just flapping his arms.

- some things I got from there