With the release of his first solo album, the promotional machine is now in full gear for Jason Lytle as he plays a series of headlining shows and opening sets for artists like Explosions In The Sky and Neko Case. I guess I shouldn't complain that Detroit was not one of the lucky cities picked for a headlining show. After all, we did get the very special layover performance at Scrummage University, an intimate afternoon solo set that was set up in a matter of hours. The Scrummage show was an experience I'll never forget, but I was still a little bummed I wouldn't get to see Jason perform with his new backing band.
As luck would have it, I still got my chance to see Lytle and his friends perform as an opening act for alt-country singer Neko Case. While the experience taught me that I am most definitely not a Neko Case fan, I can at least thank her for giving Lytle an excuse to return to the Metro Detroit area for an excellent 45 minute set.
Along with friends Rusty Miller on guitar, Rob Murdoch on bass, and former Grandaddy drummer Aaron Burtch on drums, Lytle played a short, sweet set of mostly new material from Yours Truly, The Commuter, with a few old favorites peppered in.
Opening with setlist mainstay "Levitz", the band sounded great. Miller's voice compliments Lytle's perfectly, almost as if Jason were multitracking his vocals like he used to on Grandaddy's records. "Levitz" is clearly one of Lytle's favorite songs, as it manages it find its way into nearly every show he's performed with or without a band since it was recorded, and it just so happens to be my own personal favorite Grandaddy song - a tale about a man who leaves behind his old life and friends once he discovers music.
There was precious little stage banter between songs, which segued together via pre-recorded keyboard hums and melodies. Lytle thanked the audience, but didn't say much else apart from the obligatory introductions of his fellow bandmembers or several songs, and wishing the audience a great night. There were signs posted all over the venue banning any sort of recording, photography, and smoking, but that didn't stop me from pulling out my iPhone several times to snap some pictures. Luckily, we were close enough to the stage where they turned out OK.
After the opening tune, Rusty Miller set down his guitar and took over for the piano while Jason stood beside him for performances of the new "The Ghost of My Old Dog" and the Grandaddy classic "Our Dying Brains", originally a b-side that also found its way to the Through A Frosty Plate Glass EP. Rusty and Jason couldn't help but smile as Rusty played the song's wacky keyboard riff during the bridge.
The majority of the set was made up of tracks from Commuter, including the next four songs, beginning with "Brand New Sun". Lytle provided many of the additional keyboard effects vocally, and embellished some additional oohs and aahs to fill in spots where the stripped down instrumentation wouldn't cut it. They moved on to "Birds Encouraged Him", which Lytle introduced with his only real commentary of the evening, "This song also begins with a B," before playing the title track from his new album and "I Am Lost (And The Moment Cannot Last)".
A wonderful rearranged version of "What Can't Be Erased", another Grandaddy b-side/EP track, followed. The repetitive keyboard pattern and blips of the studio version were replaced with fully fleshed out guitars and quiet drumming from Aaron Burtch.
Unfortunately, his time running out, Jason announced they had one more song before the closed their set with the beautiful "Rollin' Home Alone". Afterward, an audience member behind me (who was unfamiliar with Lytle or Grandaddy from what I gathered of her conversation with friends beforehand) said it almost brought her to tears, chuckling at her own emotions.
It's a shame this was only an opening set as the crowd seemed warm and receptive to Lytle and his friends, applauding fondly after each song, with several obvious fans amongst the uninitiated who occasionally shouted out compliments. It would have been nice to see performances of some of the songs he's been playing in his full sets, including "Jed's Other Poem (Beautiful Ground)", "A.M. 180", or "This Song Is The Mute Button". Even more disappointing, Neko Case didn't take the stage for over 30 minutes - at least half of which was simply reserved for making the crowd wait, as there were no technicians on stage setting anything up at that point. That time could have been much better spend with Lytle playing a few more songs.
For what it was, however, Lytle's 45 minute set was entertaining and expectedly awesome. His poignant, intensely personal lyrics and airy, sometimes shaky falsetto strike just the right chord with me, and seeing him live is always an intimate experience no matter where it happens. As for Neko Case, well... Let's just say that if it's true you learn something new every day, then what I learned yesterday evening was that I am not a fan, but it was worth the price of admission to see Lytle and Co. up close and personal.
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