Dan Andriano - The Shelter - Detroit, MI 11.09.06
Posted by Shane Viars on 11.13.2006
How does a bassist fare on a special solo acoustic tour?
Dan Andriano is the bassist/co-vocalist of easily my favorite band of all time, the Alkaline Trio. So when I heard that he was embarking on a two week, select shows acoustic solo tour, I knew that I had to be there.
Thursday night, I arrived at The Shelter, the basement venue to St. Andrews Hall, where a lot of local shows are played. A lot of popular artists have played the Shelter because of its small, intimate setting. The first thing I noticed was the small crowd, as the capacity isn't all that high.
The first of the two opening bands was known as Lisboa, from Detroit. Named after the singer's last name, I was immediately taken in by the band's stage presence. Having never actually heard of this band prior to this show, I was surprised at the people in the audience who did know of the group, and who were able to sing along to the bands catchier tunes. Although the bands’ MySpace describes them as an indie/rock/powerpop band, the songs didn’t make me feel as if the band were pretentious, a side effect of calling yourself an “indie rock,” band (especially in the local Detroit music scene). The band was very fun, and worth checking out for fans of bands such as “onelinedrawing,” or other pop-guitar driven rock bands. And a special thank you goes out to the band, who offered up copies of their album to the fans at no charge. If you can get in touch with the band, try and snag a copy of it. Songs to check out; QCD, Necessary Evelyn.
The second of the two opening bands was a female vocalist led group from Chicago known as Sybris. The bands’ music, coupled with the lyrics, was reminiscent of Rilo Kiley or Rainer Maria on a dark meth trip. The guitar intro to “the best day in history in ever,” really have me hooked on the band. Audio troubles on the mic prevented me from hearing some of the words, but after picking up the album, I am even more sold on this band. Their bassist was also conversing with those of us crowded at the stage during songs. Speaking of which, the baseline to “hobo detail shop,” fills in this drum-heavy track very nicely. Songs to check out from this band; Neon, The Best Day In History In Ever.
Then it was time for Dan to take the stage. Armed with only himself and an acoustic guitar, I was eagerly anticipating what he’d have in store for us. It took a while for his set to get started, as there were numerous audio problems, and then a popped string. Bringing no back-up guitars and relying upon himself to change us, The shelter was treated to the comedic styling’s of a man who upon his own admittance was “no comedian.” Once the show got started, Dan played a mix of older Alkaline Trio songs, newer Alkaline Trio songs, as well as a few songs that he had written for himself. The best tracks I heard that night were “She Took Him To The Lake,” which was so much better live than on the record (what can I say, it was!) “Lucky Smoke Rings,” (off of the split with ex-Alk Trio drummer Mike Felumlee) and my personal favorite Trio song, “Crawl.” The set was lacking in some pre-Trio stuff, as Dan was in Tuesday and Slapstick, and revealed to us that in retrospect, he should’ve “went back and re-learned some old Slapstick stuff.” And as a bonus note to this story, I was lucky enough to catch his guitar pick (which I also got his bass pick from an Alkaline Trio/Against Me! Tour in April). The set was great, and would’ve been better had the time spent fixing the sound problems been used playing more songs.
The show went well, however, and I was introduced to two new bands who I encourage all of you readers to check out. They’re totally worth a listen, and I included some of my favorite songs from their sets. Check them out, and let them know who sent you.
The 411: This was a very special treat to diehard Alkaline Trio fans. As always, I found out about some new music, and had an overall great time at The Shelter. The venue is perfect for small shows like this, and they allow you to get right up on the stage, which is all of a foot off the ground. If you caught this tour, congratulations, if not, it is an unfortunate show to have been missed. Sound problems left set time wasted, which was my only problem overall.
