Images: Tim Kasher, Laura Stevenson, Jake Bellows October 19, 2013 at Backstage Bar and Billiards

The last time I saw Tim Kasher, he was playing the Hard Rock Live with his band Cursive. I was surprised to see the audience for the show, which was headlined by fellow indie rockers Minus the Bear, seemed to be largely unfamiliar with Cursive’s work. The band has churned out no less than 7 albums since its inception in the late 90s and I would think the back to back masterpieces of Domestica and The Ugly Organ had given them a lifetime pass among music lovers. The band still put on a killer set, and I was excited to see what Kasher had in store for his more intimate, eponymous show at Backstage Bar and Billiards on October 19^th.

First up was singer/songwriter Jake Bellows. I had a hard time finding information on him before the show so I had no idea what to expect when he took to the stage while Triple B’s played the atrocious third live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie behind him (side note: why does Splinter look so terrible in this movie? Where did his legs go?). What I got from Bellows was some very catchy tunes and a nice, dry sense of humor. Bellows let the small group of fans who had gathered up front help dictate the path the songs would take, a choose your own adventure style of live performance with only two options – guitar solo or no? And who is going to say no to a guitar solo? (answer: probably whatever sadist okayed the “dogs with peanut butter stuck to the roof of their mouths” style of animatronics used to make the turtles appear to “talk” in TMNT3). At one point, the crowd doubled when a bachelorette party stumbled in to join the fun. One tutu sporting lady was given the go ahead from Bellows himself to act as his backup dancer while he serenaded the bride-to-be with a particularly somber number. He then wished her a happy birthday in the most hilariously dry way possible, only further endearing himself to the growing crowd.

Admittedly, Brooklyn-based punk kids turned indie rockers Laura Stevenson and the Cans were my number one reason for coming to the show. They’re seriously underrated, putting out three fantastic albums in a row, most recently with this year’s Wheel. I was happy to hear tracks from that album live for the first time, particularly the slow building “Renee” and instantly catchy “Runner,” with it’s fun to sing along chorus of “the summer hurts” and soaring bridge which Stevenson kills at singing live. I was also happy to hear my favorites from Sit Resist – deceptively poppy “The Healthy One” and 60s influenced “Master of Art” and even more stoked to see more people in the crowd singing along than the total people in attendance at the group’s last Vegas show at The Bunkhouse combined.

By the time Kasher and his band took the stage, the crowd was full of diehard fans and the vibe was very jovial for all the somber and angst-ridden songs. Kasher in particular was a lot more cheery than I’m used to seeing him. Maybe it’s just specific to Cursive shows I’ve been to, but he’s always had this kind of cool, detached thing going on. Here, he was much more prone to joking around; mischievously shooting back at audience members calling out requests, relating that to someone asking you to make them a chicken pot pie and bring it to them. The highlight of the night for me was when Kasher swapped his electric for an acoustic and played “Album of the Year,” the bittersweet title track to The Good Life’s sophomore release. This had the whole crowd singing along louder than just about any other moment of the night. It’s nice to see The Good Life getting some love, as it feels like most of their existence has been overshadowed by Kasher’s congruent work with Cursive. Other high points of the night included a stripped down, piano version of The Ugly Organ’s “The Recluse,” a folky cover of fellow Omaha natives and Saddle Creek labelmates The Faint’s “Worked Up So Sexual” and hearing my favorite song from Kasher’s latest album Adult Film, the danceable “Life and Limbo,” live.

-Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/