There are three elements that constitute a pleasurable live music experience in my opinion. First and foremost, there is the music. Without this, the likelihood for bust is high. Secondly, we have the atmosphere; an important element in facilitating a positive live music experience. And finally, there’s the venue. These last two elements could arguably be grouped into one category; the general “scene” if you will. I separate them because I think there exists the possibility of having one without the other. Maybe the people and the atmosphere are prime, offering good vibes and helping overshadow the fact that you are watching a show in one of your least favorite bars. Or maybe the venue is so magnificent that you forget about the thousands of screaming girls or prima donna little boys there to see Modest Mouse or Dave Matthews. Either way, it is some sort of combination of these three elements that determines your level of enjoyment at a live show. On this particular Tuesday evening, two of these elements were thrown out the window. The other I'd say was mediocre.
It’s been 17 days since my last show… far too long for an addict like me. I was practically having a staring contest with the digital clock on my computer as I was getting ready to leave work and head home for another 15 hours of freedom. The Ragbirds were coming to town. Not only was I excited about these Michigan natives making an appearance in Atlanta, but I was extremely excited to hear the sound of strings! Oh sweet, sweet strings, it seems like it’s been so long. After a month or so of mostly electronic music, my head was starting to swell. In the realm of music its diversity that keeps things fresh. So The Ragbirds it was and I was curious to see what sort of attention these out-of-towners would draw. Now, even I have been around the scene long enough to predict, based on a band’s level of notoriety, which venue they are likely to play. Oddly enough (considering Atlanta’s size and location) it seems there are only a handful to choose from. I am familiar with most of these places, but there are also the times where you venture into uncharted territory. I personally relish the opportunity to sail these unexplored waters.
On this night, the venue was The Wonderroot Community Arts Center. I checked out the website prior to embarking on my journey and found nothing particularly helpful. Wonderroot is a “non-profit organization committed to uniting artists and community to inspire positive social change”. There is a plethora of these sorts of groups in any big city and the mission statement always seems to be fairly redundant (not that I don’t agree with the intention of these organizations). No pictures or accounts of prior events were available for viewing and it wouldn’t be long before I discovered why. The downtown stretch of Memorial Drive was one of the seedier routes that I have ventured down throughout my Atlanta stay. Less than a hop, skip, and a jump down the road I found a little sign out in front of what looked like somebody’s house that said “WR Parking”. I followed the arrows and found that this “venue” was nothing more than what I would equate to a co-op at Michigan State University. I mistakenly entered a portion of the house that could only have been the “arts community” that the Wonderroot organization claims as its residency. There were dark rooms for developing photos, paintings and art covering the walls, and even a small library. I could hear the music, but I did not see it. I wandered back out the way I came in and let my ears lead me to the back of this house where I found the entranceway.
Three dollars to get in... already a bad sign. Any respectable establishment charges $5 just so they have enough to cover the musicians’ gas money. Lucky for The Ragbirds, their van runs on recycled vegetable oil, allowing them to keep whatever money was left over from the 20 or so people that came out. Lets see, 20 people at $3 per person = $60. Not to mention paying Wonderroot for their… “services” (whatever those might be). This maybe leaves the band enough food money to make it to their next destination. I felt sort of bad for them. It just goes to show how unpredictable life on the road can be. One night, you could be entertaining hundreds in a well established local venue, and the next, you could be playing to 20 people in someone’s basement on the sketchy side of town. This place was quite literally someone’s basement. Cement floors, exposed ceiling complete with silver dryer hoses, plumbing, and spider-webs, recycled furniture, and that damp, moldy smell that I find all too familiar from my days of college living. For lighting, the room was rigged with strands of Christmas lights and a few multi-colored lamps that most people use above their reptile tanks. This proved to be a daunting task for getting even one good picture to turn out (hence my lack of photos for this entry). To top things off, it appeared as if someone had run to the booze store, picked up a couple of 30 packs of PBR, and proceeded to sell $3 cans out of a mini-fridge behind this make-shift bar. A brief question and answer with lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Erin Zindle revealed that this was the band’s first time in Atlanta. It also revealed that nobody had ever really seen a show at this Wonderroot “venue” nor had they even heard of the organization. Interesting. I couldn’t help but feel like a little promotional work, with a little help from my friends, a place to build a stage, and a keg of something decent would have allowed me to organize a more successful event than this. 
The Ragbirds have been touring ruthlessly over the past few months, scheduling only 3 days off throughout the entire month of April. This performance was towards the end of this grueling, nation-wide stretch and it was clearly visible the sort of toll that the road had taken. Erin struggled to get her words out in-between songs but, impressively, there was little sign of her fading voice while she sang. And what a beautiful voice it is. On the contrary, there was absolutely no doubt that her violin was feeling 100%. When Erin lets loose on that violin, The Ragbirds are at their best. She rips her strings with speed and proficiency, all the while dancing infectiously to the beat of this African drum-infused music (so much so that she was hitting her violin bow on the low hanging ceiling over-head… too small a space for such a wild child). When I closed my eyes during the song “Tarantella” (an Argentinean dance song about releasing poisons from your body), I was in Michigan again, on some freezing fall night at Harvest Gathering while Erin and the band rounded up festival goers late at night, sending them deep into this other-worldly trance. The Ragbirds’ style (self-described as being “infectious global groove”) is this folk-rock blend of Latin, Gypsy, African, and most prominently, a Celtic sound that is the definition of world-fusion music. As bandleader, violinist, mandolinist, accordionist, percussionist… Erin Zindle is undoubtedly the center of attention. I believe her to be the most skilled of the three members playing stringed instruments. And with the statuesque posture of the bass player, Max Lockwood, she clearly exhibits the highest amount of energy. Max navigated a fairly reserved area on the neck of his bass guitar, faithfully plucking a steady groove with one or two of his fingers. On the other side of Erin stood her brother T.J. on guitar. T.J., much like Max, is a fairly recent addition to the band, which has made a number of line-up changes in the past few years, and still needs a bit of practice in my opinion. His fuzzy, over-driven tone and general style suggested that he was playing in some mid-90’s Seattle grunge-rock band, where striking off-notes (purposely, or not) gives your music some sort of unidentifiable “edge”. To me, it didn’t coincide with The Ragbirds’ sound. Tucked behind these three sat Randall Moore (Erin’s husband… sorry boys!) on percussion and Travis Harrett behind the drum kit. These two were spot on all night and delivered the “infectious global groove” that has become The Ragbirds’ own unique sound… if there is one thing that this band has, its rhythm. 
After roughly an hour of music, the band was packing up and calling it a night. It was hard to blame them. The sparse crowd had been stuck somewhere between half-listening, socializing, and dancing awkwardly and in the back of their minds, The Ragbirds were probably thinking about the 4 – day stretch they have coming up in the Florida Keys (not to mention getting the hell out of downtown Atlanta). Although I passed up the perfect opportunity to socialize with my Michigan friends, I too felt the need to vacate that basement as quickly as possible. The awkwardness was too much to bear. The next time I see The Ragbirds, I hope the three elements are on our side. I know for a fact that this music in combination with the right venue (outdoors) and the right atmosphere (Anywhere, Michigan) proves to be one hell of a good time. See you this summer, RAGBIRDS!!
1 comment:
Sounds like a Kzoo show! Another good read, I really enjoy reading your blog man.
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