Author: john-ruscher

music The press release for the show at Outback Lodge declared that “this will be the closest thing to hanging out in the old Tokyo Rose basement you’ve felt in a while.”  Since the Rose stopped hosting shows a few years ago, several venues have offered great alternatives, but none have provided a comparable atmosphere.  On Friday night, Ostinato, Red Wizard and Horsefang sought to re-create the exceptional vibe that characterized Charlottesville’s legendary basement.

Loud enough to wake the dead: Ostinato and a couple of local metal acts revive the spirit of Charlottesville’s great basements at Outback Lodge.

Horsefang set things in motion with thick riffs, off-kilter rhythms and a colossal decibel level that would be the standard for the show.  Although they were the opening act, the enthused crowd moved close to the stage and pulsed to the grinding beats.

Husband-and-wife duo Red Wizard were up next, and the love and exuberance that radiated from their complex metal grooves was heartwarming (yes, metal can be heartwarming). The fact that it was drummer Gray Morris’ birthday boosted their already dynamic delivery.

Ostinato took the stage a little after 1am, but the night was far from over.  The four-piece, who recently added violinist Anna Matijasic (of Jim Waive and the Young Divorcees) to their lineup, gradually built to a frenzy that combined the epic nature of instrumental guitar bands like Explosions in the Sky or Mogwai and the melodic smarts of Blonde Redhead.

The group reached their peak just as the lights flashed on to signal that it was closing time, but instead of cutting off their set, Ostinato held onto the moment and played two more songs. The guitar soared to a finish and Matthew Clark capped the night with a massive drum fill and an equally massive smile. It was a different basement, but the positive energy and the ringing in my ears proved that the three local bands had successfully conjured the spirit of Tokyo Rose.

cd Patty Griffin’s versatility and ambition are obvious from the start of Children Running Through, her latest release on Dave Matthews’ brainchild, ATO Records.

The minimal upright bass and drums of “You’ll Remember” give way to the horn-inflected, bluesy “Stay on the Ride,” which tells the tale of an old man’s determined bus trip to “the middle of nowhere.” With “Trapeze,” Griffin eases into a more intimate meditation on falling out of love. The backing vocals of veteran country songstress Emmylou Harris reassure us that, despite the sad tale, Griffin isn’t alone.

Grammy-nominated songwriter Patty Griffin wins big with songs of persistence on Children Running Through. And we all know that winners never quit.

“Getting Ready” continues the biographical turn, but displays Griffin’s fiercer feminine side as she croons that she is “getting ready to let you go” over jangling guitars and pounding drums. The upbeat-but-laid-back “Burgundy Shoes,” “Heavenly Day” and “Railroad Wings” give the album a calm and steady center of gravity. Griffin turns the accumulated positive energy into determination with “Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)” and “I Don’t Ever Give Up,” which both reach full effect with the help of subtle string accompaniment.

“Someone Else’s Tomorrow” revisits the theme of the inevitable passage of time. A sentimental, solo piano backs Griffin’s voice as she describes how memories disappear like “tiny ships on the water/smaller and smaller, floating away.” “Crying Over” concludes the album by reaffirming Griffin’s “don’t give up” answer to loss and transience: She knows that she will get “back in the saddle again and again.”

Through her songs, Griffin simultaneously lays out her fears and neutralizes them. In “Trapeze,” Patty and Emmylou sing that “Some people want to know what it feels like to fly/Some people just gather their courage and they give it a try.” After years of attention from established voices (artists from Solomon Burke to Bette Midler have recorded her songs), Children Running Through shows that Griffin herself is ready to take a chance at flight.