JON LINDSAY

02/05/2010

Visulite Theatre (16+ must have id - under 16 with parent only)

Doors Open: 8:00 - Headliner Begins: 11:30

Jon Lindsay

 

Son of a preacher-man, 29 year-old American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Jon Lindsay, was born in Portland, Oregon, and currently resides in North Carolina. While honing his solo songwriting craft (he’s been writing and performing songs since the age of three) and compiling an arsenal of riveting material, he’s also been busy cutting his teeth the last decade on stages all over the USA playing solo and fronting rock bands (The Young Sons, The Catch Fire, Carlisle), and touring as a multi-instrumentalist, keyboardist and singer with Benji Hughes, Nicole Atkins and a laundry list of others. His songs are meticulously sculpted instrumentally and lyrically, and span the gamut of pop and rock sonic textures, the constant thread being his unmistakable, sweet and acrobatic vocals. Live and on records there are traces of his obsessions (Zevon, Elliott Smith, Guided By Voices, Morrissey), but never more than the slightest homage; he’s got more than enough to say about his own agenda, which is always theatrical, full of consummate showmanship and dynamics. Available everywhere now is the critical darling “Magic Winter & the Dirty South” EP (2009), and in early 2010, he will release his official debut full-length “Escape From Plaza-Midwood” on a soon-to-be-announced label. His backing band is stellar, consisting of top players in Charlotte: on guitar is Peter Gray (Benji Hughes, Buschovski), on drums is David Kim (The Goldenrods, Benji Hughes, Buschovski), Stacey Leazer (Muscadine, Benji Hughes) holds down the low end, and keyboardist Kyle Dussualt (The Virginia Reel, Raised by Wolves) was the last member to come into the fold.

 

of “Magic Winter & the Dirty South”: “Judging by his 5-song solo EP, Jon LIndsay's tenure as Benji Hughes' keys player is paying songwriting dividends. It's a familiar refrain from those who've worked with Hughes and praise his exacting craftsmanship, and these songs sound much more finished than Lindsay's ill-fated collaboration in The Young Sons last year. "The Sideman" continues that disc's power-pop vibe, Teenage Fanclub being a worthy reference point. But things take a SoCal turn with the minor-key twang and stacked vocals of "Not Trying", Topanga Canyon summer pop re-imagined by The Shins, as well as the Spector/Beach Boys textures of "Ryan on the Runway". Yet it's "Red Dawn Soon" that plays like an exile from Hughes' "A Love Extreme", Patrick Swayze and Charlie Manson name-dropped amid the burbling synths and keyboards of an unstoppable melody” -  Shuffle Magazine

 

on the new forthcoming Jon Lindsay full-length debut “Escape From Plaza-Midwood”: “Lyrically and melodically one of the most moving songwriters I’ve heard in a long time. “Escape From Plaza-Midwood” is fully loaded: there’s all the fun, surface-level tension and pop-prowess one would desire for the car or the bar, and repeat-listening is rewarded with many new discoveries and the sense that such meticulous craftsmanship MUST have been painful. That some of this material won’t give it all up without a fight, or in some cases be taken alive. After one listen I feel like I know most all of these people on the album, and in some cases I do: Bernie Madoff, Casey Anthony, Kato Kaelin, Randy Rhodes, Betty Draper - all populate the world of EFPM at various distances, swirling around the edges of multiple-point-of-view vignettes of losers, winners and everything in between, principally set in this both real-world and meta-neighborhood (located in Charlotte, North Carolina, 28205), which, like any well-worn hamlet holds the power to create, destroy, redeem and exile anything in its gravitational pull. Lindsay’s neo-folkish (and though I say ‘folkish’, look out for intense full-band, orchestral and electro ear-candy) fascination with select public figures is wry, inventive and works well as the backdrop to intimate depictions of townies and the exploration of their love-hate relationships with the micro and macro, which here can often be church, prison and paradise all at once. In the hands of a lesser artist, stepping to such topics can sometimes prove too risky - trite, distracting or an excuse not to grapple with and refine one’s own confessions - but not here; things are intensely personal throughout. The terra firma of this 18-track opus is the constant return every-other-track to the straightforward, laser-sharp witness Lindsay and his characters bear in their most mundane moments just ‘knocking around the zoo’ as he would say. 'Escape from Plaza-Midwood' is a singular and most excellent record.” - Derrick Feingold

 

of “Magic Winter & the Dirty South”: "Timeless all-analog indie-pop, self-recorded in Charlotte, North Carolina by one of the most exciting artists we've seen come out of the burgeoning southeastern lo-fi revival scene" - Paste Magazine

 

on Jon Lindsay solo performances: “Being that he's playing at a piano bar and all, Lindsay's regular residency at Petra's is a solo affair, heavy on Wainwright-style (don't really matter which one) balladry shot through with a really dry sense of humor and an admirable flair for the dramatic (it is a cabaret, after all). Lindsay, who's done time with the late The Young Sons and sang for any number of folk (Benji Hughes, Nicole Atkins) has a new one set for early next year, a 20-track effort entitled "Escape From Plaza-Midwood." And here I thought you just headed down Pecan. -Timothy C. Davis

 

www.myspace.com/jonlindsaymusic

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THE HOUSTONS

Start Time: 10:15

www.houstonsmusic.com

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OLD CEREMONY

Start Time: 9:15

The Old Ceremony on the Half Shell

The Old Ceremony draws their water from a deep well of music ranging from the Beatles to Beck, Leadbelly to Led Zeppelin. Unorthodox instrumentation meets superb songwriting, to create a unique interpretation of rock'n'roll.

After three highly acclaimed albums and four years of touring, the Chapel Hill, NC band has built a large and loyal following. TOC has performed with CAKE, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Chuck Berry, Polyphonic Spree, Mountain Goats, and Avett Brothers, and was included in PASTE Magazine's "Top 100 Albums of 2006."

TOC is figureheaded by songwriter/raconteur Django Haskins, and includes bassist Matt Brandau, drummer Dan Hall, vibes/organist Mark Simonsen, and violinist/keyboardist Gabriele Pelli.

www.theoldceremony.com