Show Review: William Elliot Whitmore @ The Mohawk (9/25)

It’s always a nice surprise seeing old friends again. Hanging out, sharing stories of your new adventures apart over a whiskey or two. Or in the case of last night at the Mohawk, say oh, ten or fifteen sounds reasonable…

Follow the jump for the full review.

When a longtime buddy comes to town it’s a perfectly normal human response to help show him/her a good time. However, when that person is a musician,  and that person has a duty to perform on stage for a paying audience, there should probably be a limit to the drink buying if it begins to affect the show negatively. Especially when it appears that the person in question is getting angry.

Alas, this was the scenario late Tuesday. A small, yet overly rowdy, mixed, stinking drunk crowd, shouting incoherently and challenging each other to out duel the other for how many drinks they could feed the headliner (and taking pride in the awful selections, no less). While that sounds enjoyable to some, might I say a bit childish, for those of us not directly connected to the performer and only there to see a talented musician, the result was, shall we say, less than desirable. Maybe I digress, regardless of the end result, there was still a show on stage at the Mohawk in one form or another.

Meeting up with friends seemed to be a theme of the evening, as some of my close friends gathered to celebrate a birthday. I, being more or less unfamiliar with the headliner’s discography went on faith from the glowing reviews of past sets from the young, inked troubadour. Pleasant conversation and general relaxation was the mood as was fitting for a beautiful fall Tuesday evening on the patio and that mood carried well through, the true gem of the evening, Miss Samantha Crain‘s perfect set. The Oklahoma native, touring in support of her recently released second LP, You (Understood), displayed a warm and sultry voice in a  tiny, unsuspecting package. She instantly held the small subdued audience at a stand-still. Even her biggest fan, Whitmore himself, was perched in the front row singing along and supplying her with a steady amount of Gin and Tonic to fuel the fire. Songs like “Lions” and “Sante Fe” both carried very well in the intimate inside stage, fitting the overall vibe to a ‘T’. Then unfortunately came the incoherent ramblings of a crowd on the verge. Demanding songs to be played and not giving a general respect for the performer was the new norm. This was just a a taste of what was to come, but by the time Crain finished off her set with a solid acoustic number, I had more or less forgotten the incidents. Overall, Samantha Crain carried herself very well, and ultimately laid down a set that few could respectably follow.

Now on to the headliner. William Elliot Whitmore is becoming somewhat of a folk hero these days, echoing the voice of the land in the very essence, equal parts Wendell Berry and Woody Guthrie. With the (One Straw) Revolution back to this country’s farming roots solidifying in Austin and throughout the Midwest these days, it seems as though folk has found another voice to sound the hardships of its long lost brethren and their connection to the earth. Armed with a kick drum, banjo, and his latest LP Field Songs via Anti, the set opened up simple and predictably enough, with the opening track ‘Bury your Burdens In The Ground’, done faithful to the record. However, following a painful microphone snafu, it was plain enough that the easy-going singer, was (not so quietly) becoming angry and was, quite simply, stinking drunk.  (Usually) this is not a good combination for a performer. After the opener, the show became a free-for-all, request hour and as the stories, shots, and wise-cracks came along, they seemed to be less enjoyable with each go around. By the time ‘Johnny Law’  and the story preceding it emerged, it was painfully aware that there was no turning back, each song leading to a final note, Whitmore stammering on stage, struggling to stay on two feet. I will admit, however, that ‘Mutiny’ and ‘Digging My Grave’ did come across as stronger while under some significant influence, channeling his inner Waits. There’s no doubt the man has talent, though it appears that tonight was simply another example of the good ol’ cliche, “With friends like these, who needs enemies.” Though the microphone issue certainly did not help the attitude of the singer, his “good” friends, unfortunately did him no favors. At least they were all having fun laughing at him. Shit friends if you ask me.  #endrant

In any event, if you made it this far, you should certainly check out his vast, growing discography  It’s one of the purest forms of folk to emerge from this country in years and is well worth the investment to spend time with his lyrics. I just pray that the next time he comes around, he learned a thing or two from last night.

Sketches by Jon Wagner