Last night, I ended up at the Poplar Lounge for The Community Bubble, The Collected Works, and Jason Pulley show.
Jason Pulley
Jason Pulley has played with a pretty diverse group of bands in the past such as The Adversary and The Original Cyndi. He is also currently a member of The Near Reaches. His solo project just features himself with a keyboard, which is unfortunate because I think his sound could definitely benefit from having a full band back him up. There’s a dark sense of humor to Pulley’s music that I definitely liked (he sort of sounds like what would happen if Randy Newman died, went to Hell, and returned to Earth as a demon). Musically, I was often reminded of the songs from Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory with just a hint of They Might Be Giants and 1970’s singer/songwriters thrown in. Lyrically, I kept thinking of Ween’s sense of humor. He played songs about serial killers, gated communities, and frat boys. While my own opinion about Pulley’s solo work is a bit mixed, I can certainly say that it seemed a good portion of the crowd was at the Poplar Lounge for his set. Pulley achieved his intent to entertain and make the crowd laugh (and I swear that’s not backhanded. Pulley’s lyrics were funny, and the crowd was definitely laughing with him. Not every Memphis band can say that).
The Collected Works
The Collected Works is a band fronted by husband and wife team Stan and Darcie Polson. The band also includes Darcie’s bandmates from Woodenmouth, Jason Dawson on keyboards and Steve Langford on drums, with Ryno Hanson from The Bombay Alleys on bass.
The band opened with covers from Silver Jews and The Mountain Goats, which is apropos when you consider that their original songs are about things like Emma Goldman and The Grapes of Wrath. With songs about the girl you shouldn’t have dated and the girl you left at home so you could go out drinking, I kept finding myself thinking about 1970’s country music (like Ronnie Milsap and Kenny Rogers). I would like to hear recordings from this band mainly because I think that Stan Polson’s lyrics are probably quite literary (like John Darnielle or Blake Schwarzenbach).
The Community Bubble
The Community Bubble is the musical project from local comedians (and twin brothers) Michael and Stephen Kline. Despite the Kline brothers’ (and bassist Randall Holcomb’s) other occupation, it should be noted that The Community Bubble is a serious band. They have a neo-psychedelic sound (think Elephant 6) that would please fans of Apples in Stereo and Of Montreal’s older records (The Gay Parade, Aldhils Arboretum).
There are several great shows happening tonight. Arma Secreta will be celebrating the release of their new album tonight at the Hi-tone (1913 Poplar Ave.) with Oakland, California’s Bare Wires. Doors for this show will open at 9:00 and the cover will be $7 (18 and up).
At the Buccaneer Lounge (1368 Monroe Ave.) tonight, Moving Finger has just been added to an already awesome show that also features True Sons of Thunder and The Manatees. This show should start around 10ish, is 21 and up, and free.
At the Cove (2559 Broad Ave.) tonight, one of my absolute favorite locals Richard James of Richard James and the Special Riders will be doing a solo set, along with Jeffrey James (Jeffrey James and the Haul, Snowglobe, Glorie), and Brent Stabbs (The Dream Team, Clay Otis and The Showbiz Lights). This show is $3 and 21 and up. Get there around 10ish.
