Easy Street Records

Seattle, WA

December 9, 2001

Setlist:

(contributed by Rebecca Kim)

Quiet & Still

Smile to the World

Where Happiness Lives

My Darling Curse

Review:

(contributed by Rebecca Kim)

My first impression of Easy Street was that it was fairly small. Not cramped, but small -- and not Tower Records by a long shot (that is a good thing). When you first walk in, there's a lone cash register to the right (and friendly multiple-pierced employee) and four rows of hand-labeled cds/records/tapes. On the multi-colored walls are murals, themselves covered with tons and tons of vintage records and posters. To the right of all the record shelves is a bar with stools that squeak when you sit on them. The bar is the dividing line between the records and the other half of the store, which consists of several un-matching vintage chairs and tables, and against the wall, the three foot high "stage."

There were probably less than twenty people milling about the store as we walked in. My brother drifted to the U2 section while I wondered whether we'd come the wrong day. Where was this Even Johansen? It was only after I'd turned around several times before I finally noticed, among the small menagerie of indie hipsters sipping tea, a young man bent over a flat instrument in his lap. To his left was another guy, sitting behind a folding table holding an iBook and some electronic equipment.

It was around then that microphones were plugged in and I heard Even introduce himself and the guy next to him (I don't remember the name). Shortly thereafter I heard the familiar strains of "Quiet and Still."

I would guess there were about 9 people gathered around the perimeter. Among those I noticed were a young couple, a small group of skinny guys wearing goatees and turtlenecks, and a father and his seven-or-eight year old son.

He launched straight into another song after Quiet and Still, a song I didn't recognize. By the time he had finished that, however, I had made it into a booth in the corner. Even put down his instrument and took out a camera, saying something like, "If ya'll can smile I'd like to take a picture. I want proof to my wife that I'm working. ... Say cheese everybody!" (and the one little boy really did say, "cheese!")

After Where Happiness Lives (which directly followed the picture taking), Even announced he'd be playing one more song and thanked everybody for listening. It was strange because he made it sound like we were doing him such a favor.

He started into the last song, which was very different from anything on Quiet and Still. It was cool watching his companion, the guy on the iBok. He would push a button; the drum beat started. Slide a few levers; radiohead-esque noises commenced. He was like a one man back-up band.

Even acknowledged the sparse but impressed applause, started packing up, and people wandered off. I wandered dazedly over to my brother, and we hung around the bar observing Even as he chatted with the iBook guy.

Finally my brother got tired of waiting and walked over to him and said, "Great job," shaking his hand. "Thank you," Even said sincerely. My brother asked if he could take a picture and Even replied, of course. A few painless seconds later, we were captured in the same frame.

My brother took two pictures in that position, before Even suggested one with iBook guy in the background.

Afterwards, I had him sign my flier. Yes of course, he said, and he laughed a little while doing it. "I've never done this before." Before his name, he again wrote: "Thanks for listening."

Later, in the car, my brother (who purchased a U2 import .. and Quiet and Still) mused that perhaps five years from now, when he's made it big, I can boast that I was the first person for whom Even Johansen signed an autograph.

At this point, Even is still obscure - so obscure that his audience for a free performance was within nine people of being nonexistent. While that does sound kind of pathetic, I'm going to be selfish and say I'm glad it turned out that way.

Sound Clips:

*not a song, obviously.  If you listen closely enough you hear Even say "...I need to prove to my wife that I'm working...say cheese, everybody!"  

**another note, the quality between the mp3s and realaudio don't make much of a difference, so if you want to save some downloading time you can get the realaudio version by changing the file type to .rm

Pictures:

- performing (last song) - 1
- performing (last song) - closer view
- performing (last song) - 2
- discussing the merits of their performance
- pale, skinny, 2 earrings and black fingernails.
- Even Johansen and "iBook guy"